Republican News · Thursday 22 November 2001

IRA STRIKE HARD

THE crisis caused by the hard-hitting IRA operations, last week, and in particular the execution of loyalist extremist Robert Bradford, has sent the so-called loyalists on a rebellious collision course with the British government which, in terms of shaking and sickening British public opinion (as IRA bombs in London are successfully doing), should knock about two or three years off the British occupation of Ireland.

A number of developments coming roughly together were given added impetus by Bradford's killing.

The latest British attempt at patronising the nationalist desire for reunification, an attempt to square the circle with something cosmetic - an Anglo-Irish council - again met with fierce loyalist opposition, mostly mounted by Ian Paisley, who, before Bradford's death provided him with a more emotive cause for mobilisation, intended to mount large protests next Monday anyway.

Also, in the last two weeks there have been almost daily IRA gun and booby trap bomb attacks on the RUC and UDR which have taken a heavy toll, particularly in border areas.

These forces have come under increased attack, and they and otherl oyalists know it is simply because the British government's Ulsterisation policy has pushed them into the front line.

These demoralising attacks have caused a loyalist crisis of confidence in the British administration's 'security policy' and there are now daily calls for the deployment of the SAS and for the setting up of a 'third force'.

This third force would be another loyalist paramilitary group, ostensibly for defence, but which would be armed and would be the military wing of Paisleyism, and possibly the vehicle of an embryonic rebel loyalist army, unpofficially drawing rom the RUC and UDR.

The execution of Bradford; Direct Ruler Jim Prior's advice to outraged loyalists to 'keep calm' and 'not fall into the IRA trap'; ad Thatcher's declaration in Westminster last Monday that the London/Dublin talks would continue, capped loyalist anger , which was seen by the cameras of the world desecrating the funeral of their dead leader by attacking Prior and his RUC bodyguards before and after the funeral service.

No plastic bullets were fired to drive off the mourners, as at Joe McDonnell's funeral, and Prior experienced at first hand, and the British people saw on television, the loyalist monster, which they have created, and which they support to the tune of £1,000 million a year, threaten to make Ulster 'ungovernable'

However, despite the completely indiscriminate sectarian killings of innocent Catholics, and the threat to disrupt local councils, and the calls for capital punishment of republicans, and the military repression of the nationalist people, the loyalists are fairly confused over what they can actually achieve and they are actually damaging British rule in Ireland.

Phoblacht, Thursday 20 November 1981