Ulster cover-up may involve ministers

I think that's what the USA calls the 'war on terrorism'.

Dropping a bomb on a Baghdad resturant in an attempt to assassinate Saddam, or using a drone aircraft to fire a missile at a car in Yemen (In order to assassinate alleged terrorists), is simply the USA's equivilent. The difference is that the USA is doing it openly, and on a much larger scale.

If the report's contents are proven to be correct (As yet, it has not been tested in a court of law, and people are entitled to be considered innocent until proven guilty), some may say that manipulating one terrorist group into killing members of an opposing terrorist group, was quite a good idea. Distasteful as many may feel that is, the reality is that it goes on all the time around the world. There are countless examples. Some may say that the deaths of civilians was unforgivable. The simple reply is, what happend in Iraq and Afghanistan....or numerous areas of conflict around the world? Innocents always suffer in conflict situations.

The allegations contained in the report you have mentioned, do highlight one problem. The alleged covert operation, was perhaps poorly run. If anything, it was a lot less effective than it could have been. Which makes me suspect that the people involved were under achievers, ineffective, or else, the allegations have over estimated the scale of the alleged conspiracy. Since the majority of terrorists in Northern Ireland are known to the police / army, it's curious that a supposed high level conspiracy, killed so few!


Anyway, dirty tricks and dirty wars are all part of the dark world of counter terrorism. Welcome to the real world of 'the war on terrorism'! The USA has a lot of catching up to do. But I have to say, the US is certainly doing it's best to make up for lost time!

Hi Stinger, a question
Stinger, would you feel the same way if the terrorists being helped by the Brits were the IRA against the Ulsters?

Just wondering ------BumbleBeeBoogie

BBB

First of all, it would be highly unlikely that the British army would be helping the IRA kill anyone. It's a scenario that is so far fetched, that I couldn't even begin to comment on that.

However, I think a general answer is simply, it's all a matter of perspective. If you are a member or supporter of a terrorist group, and the government or one of it's agencies is indirectly, via another terrorist group, trying to kill you, then obvioulsy you would think that is unfair / wrong / immoral or whatever.

But if you think the terrorists being targeted for killing, are scum, as ALL terrorists in Northern Ireland are, then it's hard to give a damn how they are eliminated. I know that may sound a little brutal, but I'm living in the reality, not the hyperthetical. I grew up with over three decades of terrorist violence, and I know what the various groups are like - the reality - not the propaganda.

If people in the army / police broke the rules and get caught, they will have to pay the price. But personally, I'm not losing any sleep over the possibility that terrorist scumbags from one group were being manipulated into killing scumbags from an opposing terrorist group.

I can see what the intention of this alleged covert operation was, if it actually existed (Nothing has yet been proven). While it may not have been perfect in it's execution, the basic idea was pretty good. If the law was less restrictive for the police & army, and terrorists were unable to play the system to their own benefit, to the extent that they do, then I suppose no-one would have been tempted to step outside the law, and fight terrorists using unconventional tactics.

After 9/11, your country had a wake up call, and is willing to do whatever it takes to combat any threats. Meanwhile the British government is still prone to beating itself up over the slightest possibility that it might be doing something unsporting! God forbid they might sanction the assassination of terrorists!! It's just not British old chap! Leave that to Johnny Foreigner. Or at least, if we're going to do it, then for heaven's sake, don't let anyone else know we do it.

It would be a lot simpler if the British Government just changed the appropriate laws, and made it public knowledge that if you are a threat to national security, you are in danger of being killed. End of debate. That's much better than the politically correct nonesense, that it's usually drowning in. I know it won't happen, but now would be an easy time for the UK government, to declare war on terrorists. Who's in a positon to complain. Who has the moral high ground on human rights etc, and able to lecture the UK. The US government? No. The Russians? Nope. China? Negative.....I could go on.

Now with the 'war on terrorism', anything goes. The US opened the door for everyone else. The events in Northern Ireland in the mid 1980s, are insignificant in comparison to world events today. It's hard to muster the enthusiasim to give a damn about supposedly scandalous events from a couple of decades ago, that nowadays, seem quite routine, even tame in comparison to the present global reality.