h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Gerry Adams has given strong indication that there is going to be significant movement on disarmament. Assuming (although it is a big assumption to make) that this comes to pass and the IRA do put their arms beyond use, does that mean that peace will come to Northen Ireland?

I very much doubt it, but I don't know enough about the Northern Ireland situation to make any intelligent comment.

The IIDC has confirmed that a "significant" amount of IRA arms were put beyond use which is an historic moment. However, there are still those people such as the people still picketting the Holy Cross school who see it as a natural behaviour to discriminate (even against children) according to religion.
Does Northen Ireland need some kind of "Truth and reconcilliation" as happened in South Africa to put the troubles behind them or is time the best healer?

For the last 7 years, since the IRA ceasefire was aanounced the people of Northern Ireland have lived in hope tinged with fear of the unknown. The fact that no matter who was on-side to any agreement to end it all, there would still be disadents, such as the Real IRA who would see it as their goal to wreck anything.

The weekend just past I was especially depressed as Norhtern Ireland was moving towards a terminal point in teh peace process and everyone seemed too focused on Afghanistan to notice that we had days left to save the process that had been going since the Good Friday agreement. I was starting to wonder did my 'Yes' vote count for nothing that day.

What happened yesterday is the start of a process of decommisioning. I'm glad it has happened and that the Ulster Unionist Party of David Trimble recognises that this is suffecient for there ministers to return to the executive table, I can just imagine the panic that was going on in my old department at the thought of another change of Minister. There is still a long way to go and we already are having a sort of truth and reconcilliation package under what the ageement did set out. It's just that generations of differences take a long time to be reconciled.

It truely was an historic day as I was beginning to doubt that the IRA would ever give up any of their weapons now that they have paramilitaries on BOTH sides need to follow suit. The people of Northern Ireland don't want to live in fear while going to school or work anymore, and the person on the street generally doesn't care about what side of the divide someone else comes from. I hope that now peace really does have a change.

DD N.I.P.P.L.E.

(Northern Irish Professional Person Living in Exile)

Unfortunately David Trimble is still having to get the support of his party to reenter Stormont despite the historic decision on decommissioning. It seems that the path to peace is trod in tiny steps...still, as long as they are steps forward there is hope.