When I first saw the British tabliod press releases and articals...I was and still feel infuriated. Yes, this could be deemed as a substantial set back and it is horrible and sadnning both for the families of the men murdered as it is for Ireland as a whole country.
In the papers, broad and sweeping statements such as "IRA SHOOTINGS" etc are inacurate scare mongering propoganda. The IRA,UDA and all the big freedom fighters, and opposers of a United Ireland have been disbanded sinse 1998,10 years nearly with all of their weapons haven been given up and haven shown themselves to be committed to a peace process. The people resposnible for these murders are but a few cowardly men who fight for fightings sake and not for any 'cause' as we from Ireland have known it to be for the last thirty years. Those from a republican ethos still want a united Ireland and want to acheive it via different means, ie, talking and comming to aggreements via the ballot and not the bullet.
It is indeed a scary prospect for all of us who hale form and love Ireland as a whole country as we lose the divided mentality. Nationalist Polititians have been attacked by the press as they always have and in this case for not comming out to uphold any great alarm and disgust at the atrocaties..that being said, the deputy minister was fast of the mark when he said "this is murder, not because you want me to say it is murder...it just is!"
The british press and there coverage of this horror repeatedly made these sweepng statements and in there coverage showed their own brand of zenapobic distain and inaccuracies when they could not even get the names of the places where the shootings happened correct!! I am pretty gobby about these things,it makes me irate whan so much has been acheived by all parties concerned if not more so by the Nationalist communities. Jerry Adams,the leader of the Nationalist Movement walks a pretty fine line and hats of to him for his part in acheiving peace. I do not have much love for the man himself or for some of the policies...but in the proceeses entire history, many great men and women brought us to a hugely amazing time in Ireland and I for one do not see that being stripped away by a few isane die hards or by the powers and people who got us here. It is a terrible shame that the british press chose to portray the whole shameful and awful happenings in a jaded and biased way.

Poppie