Brian Feeney turns his derision on the dissident Republicans supposedly behind a ‘significant’ split in Republican ranks. Although he believes the threat emanating from this quarter is derisory, nonetheless he believes further threats of Republican violence only plays into the hands of the DUP ‘hardliners’:
If there’s one development the DUP nay-sayers would love it’s a new campaign by IRA dissidents called by any name you like. Republican violence is the great bogeyman DUP politicians use to scare their voters. We’ve just gone through the quietest summer for decades. The only organised violence is loyalist. The DUP have absolutely no excuse to avoid sharing power in the north.
Isn’t it therefore a remarkable coincidence that at exactly this point the republican section of the Flat Earth Society emerges to combine with the Flat Earthers in the DUP to try to sustain each other’s fantasies? Still, when the republican Flat Earthers finally have their meeting in some hole in the wall they won’t even be able to agree to form a party, let alone agree what the party’s for.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
