Stakeholder

Until recently the PSNI and the myopic numpties at the Northern Ireland Office have been content to trivialise the daring and growing capacity of Dissident Republicans. Of course, the NIO has form in such matters as it regularly turned a blind eye to UDA and UVF transgressions; treating their thugs and criminals as groups of wayward and wilful boys. The new Chief Constable is reported as saying he prays for those in the Dissident Groups. Personally speaking as long as they with their murdering intent are preying on the general public, I would prefer a Chief Constable more concerned with their physical whereabouts than their spiritual salvation.

Naturally everyone is appalled as the condemnations fell fast and furious from every political party but as Gerry Adams often told us after various IRA atrocities the politics of condemnation is worthless. Back then Sinn Fein did not engage in the politics of condemnation. Now with considerable verbal dexterity we are told this is the work of ‘small militarist factions’ and that they ‘will not break the will of the people’. The plastic paddies at the NIO say that these ‘people will not be allowed to undermine the peace process’. The reality is that the peace process is no longer a process. We are as normal as its going to get. We have a semi-functioning democracy that lacks the will power to take tough decisions on anything controversial but whose members want to run justice and policing matters where the consequences of further political pussy-footing really is a matter of life and death.

The latest attack on the unmanned Newtownhamilton Police station is nothing short of outrageous. Outrageous, because these Dissidents are getting perilously close to a launching serious terrorist attack which will inevitably lead to the loss of life. Outrageous because the PSNI appear in their response times to measure the risk to themselves before the immediate risk to the general public and outrageous, because border communities in are being left undefended.

There is little point in the Chief Constable parading around Crossmaglen Square for the TV cameras when South Armagh and Newry are left exposed when the lights go out.

The fact that the Dissidents were allowed to man check points in broad day light within the watch of the PSNI is mind-boggling. Would the same be allowed to happen if a group of criminals held the traffic up in Clapham or Piccadilly ? Of course, not and if they did Justice Ministers would end up resigning and Chief Constables would be carpeted. Defeating the dissidents requires two things; community resolve to have them arrested and the political will to send them down. The concern of the Northern Ireland Policing Board is touching but the public I suspect want some collars felt. Sinn Fein knows well that their disaffected former colleagues will not be beaten by a raft of good intentions and a spoonful of moral outrage.

Conor Murphy is right when he says the proximity of the latest bomb attack to a nearby polling station is an attempt to thwart democracy. Remembering a conversation with a former South Armagh SDLP Councillor about how militant republicans in the  1970’s fired shots into the doorway of the Crossmaglen polling station; it appears these off-spring of Oglaigh na Eireann are apples that have n’t fallen too far from the tree.

South Armagh has fought hard against the unjust label of ‘bandit country’ and the current MP has been to the forefront my many initiatives to improve the image and reputation of the district. When the police say the intention of dissident militants is to kill police they are no doubt right but the police exist to protect life and property and the public is n’t supposed to come off second best in the exercise of that duty. If there is a resource issue then have the honesty to address it. If it’s a mismanagement issue then lets change the management but if it’s a policy issue –unwritten or unspoken to have a hands off or softly-softly approach in areas where its too difficult or too politically sensitive to deal with- then frankly after fourteen years of peace when it comes to law and order – its high time our politicians got off the proverbial ‘pot or pissed’. These dissidents have no popular support but perhaps to apprehend them some unpopular measures will have to be deployed. In the past the public were pawns in a 30 year war of attrition- they deserve better now.