Thursday, July 28, 2005
America's reaction to IRA statement
Well, in fairness, the following statements are from FoxNews' reaction to today's IRA statement and I've no idea how credible this news station is in the eyes of Americans, but I'm not terribly impressed with their knowledge of the political situation in Ireland! The following are excerpts from an article by FoxNews on today's announcement:
"The Irish Republican Army announced Thursday it will abandon its "armed campaign" and resume disarmament in an extraordinary declaration designed to revive Northern Ireland's peace process."
Extraordinary? Not really. I mean, we have been expecting this for some time...
"The IRA, which has observed a cease-fire since 1997..."
Well that would be a matter of opinion!
"In a lengthy statement, the outlawed group appealed to Britain and Northern Ireland's Protestant majority to accept its new position as sufficient to renew negotiations on power-sharing"
I wouldn't say their statement was an appeal to Britain and the North's "Protestant majority" at all.
"Protestant leaders, deeply suspicious of IRA motives, warned in advance they would wait several months to test whether the IRA's words proved true."
What's with the religious references? This makes out the issues are more about religion than politics. Why not say 'Unionist leaders'?
"All sides say they remain committed to resurrecting a joint Catholic-Protestant administration that would replace Britain as the primary government authority in this long-unstable corner of the United Kingdom."
This is just ridiculous. A 'joint Catholic-Protestant administration'?
"A four-party coalition led by Protestant and Catholic moderates gained power in 1999, but it fell apart in 2002 amid chronic arguments about IRA activities and arms."
More religious references!
"Resurrecting power-sharing became more difficult in 2003 once voters — polarized by the diplomatic deadlock — shifted support to the opposite extremes of opinion: Gerry Adams' Sinn Fein on the Irish Catholic side, and Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists on the British Protestant side."
Adams a figure representing Catholicism and Paisley a figure representing 'British Protestantism'? A thought that would strike fear into Catholics and Protestants everywhere!
Overall, I am left decidedly unimpressed with FoxNews and would urge any American visitors to United Irelander to ignore the garbage spewed by this organisation and instead look to Irish news sites for news relating to the island of Ireland. Despite what FoxNews may think, religion is not the problem in Ireland's north. It's politics.
Must do better FoxNews!
"The Irish Republican Army announced Thursday it will abandon its "armed campaign" and resume disarmament in an extraordinary declaration designed to revive Northern Ireland's peace process."
Extraordinary? Not really. I mean, we have been expecting this for some time...
"The IRA, which has observed a cease-fire since 1997..."
Well that would be a matter of opinion!
"In a lengthy statement, the outlawed group appealed to Britain and Northern Ireland's Protestant majority to accept its new position as sufficient to renew negotiations on power-sharing"
I wouldn't say their statement was an appeal to Britain and the North's "Protestant majority" at all.
"Protestant leaders, deeply suspicious of IRA motives, warned in advance they would wait several months to test whether the IRA's words proved true."
What's with the religious references? This makes out the issues are more about religion than politics. Why not say 'Unionist leaders'?
"All sides say they remain committed to resurrecting a joint Catholic-Protestant administration that would replace Britain as the primary government authority in this long-unstable corner of the United Kingdom."
This is just ridiculous. A 'joint Catholic-Protestant administration'?
"A four-party coalition led by Protestant and Catholic moderates gained power in 1999, but it fell apart in 2002 amid chronic arguments about IRA activities and arms."
More religious references!
"Resurrecting power-sharing became more difficult in 2003 once voters — polarized by the diplomatic deadlock — shifted support to the opposite extremes of opinion: Gerry Adams' Sinn Fein on the Irish Catholic side, and Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists on the British Protestant side."
Adams a figure representing Catholicism and Paisley a figure representing 'British Protestantism'? A thought that would strike fear into Catholics and Protestants everywhere!
Overall, I am left decidedly unimpressed with FoxNews and would urge any American visitors to United Irelander to ignore the garbage spewed by this organisation and instead look to Irish news sites for news relating to the island of Ireland. Despite what FoxNews may think, religion is not the problem in Ireland's north. It's politics.
Must do better FoxNews!
# posted by United Irelander @ 3:33 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
