I don't disagree but the activities that McGuinness & Adams were involved in as senior members of the IRA should not be ignored. McGuinness was an enforcer and many a kneecapping took place on his say so or at least with his agreement. Mainland bombings, punishment shootings, the disapperead, sexual abuse etc. The level of violence was ferocious.

I will give McGuinness some credit for unlike Adams, admitting he was in the IRA (even if he lied that he left in 74) and some for being involved in the peace process.

To be clear, I have equal contempt for loyalist terrorist organisations

Actually Northern Ireland isn't part of Britain which only comprises England, Scotland and wales.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom which to give it's full title is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

:/pedants hat off now:

Indeed which is why Brit is usually spat out

Though bizarrely when working in Dublin or even having discussions with Irish over here, being Welsh is seen as infinitely better than being English, especially when it comes to talking about N Ireland. I never quite understood why, it can't be something as tenuous as the Celtic connection.

We were an army of occupation in his country. From his point of view I can understand why he would have resisted that occupation. Ultimately the peace process wouldn't happened without his involvement - or for the involvement of his equivalents on the other side.

Even Mrs Thatcher recognized that

Its a complicated matter. McGuiness was a commander in the Provisional IRA, and responsible for acts of terrorism against the UK, but also instrumental in the peace process, that seems to have brought about a stable resolution to a conflict that wasn't necessarily his in the making, or Adams.

Realistically, the British military were caught up in a problem that kept escalating, that neither side (Loyalist or Republican) can escape responsibility for causing the problems 'Troubles', and the Army stepped in to initially protect Catholics from Protestant gangs burning them out.

All in all, a cluster f**k that no one really comes out looking particularly clean or dandy from.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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Correct. It's not the Welsh or Scottish they hate it is the English PERIOD. I see & hear this on a daily basis in NYC. I'm now at that time of the year when St Patrick's Day stuff is getting made & sold & I have to get an Irish friend to sell this crap as I wouldn't get a look in. Ironically If I play on my Scottish ancestry they don't have a problem with it. I will also state for the record most of the Irish I deal with I get on with Its primarily people from Norn Iron....

Pro USA & Israel