The Guns Fall Silent

Well. Rather fittingly, I was listening to Irish radio over the internet at work today when the news came through that the IRA has at last decommissioned its weapons. It was verified by John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general who heads the independent commission appointed to oversee the decommissioning process. The official IRA statement, signed (as all IRA statements have ever been) by 'P. O'Neill', ran:

The leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann (IRA) announced on 28 July that we had authorised our representative to engage with the IICD to complete the process of verifiably putting arms beyond use. The IRA leadership can now confirm that the process of putting arms beyond use has been completed.

And now, let the death throes of Unionism and Loyalism commence. For without an active IRA to rail against, what is the point of the likes of Rev. Ian Paisley continuing to spew his hateful invective? Unsurprisingly, he grumbled to the press today that the confirmation of IRA decommissioning was meaningless, in the absence of photographic or other 'hard evidence' - which is an insult to de Chastelain and all those who have worked so tirelessly for years to make this day happen.

But a leopard will never change its spots, so it's to be expected. I have always said that even if Gerry Adams were to crawl on hands and knees to the feet of Ian Paisley, with the entire IRA arsenal clenched between his teeth, Paisley would still dismiss it as some sort of Republican trick.