# IRA Apology to innocent victims....a step forward? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2002, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390 "2002-07-17T11:39:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/21 "2002-07-17T14:58:02Z")
Aro, we’ve already dropped our claim to the 6 counties as part of the Good Friday Agreement. If safety and equality were guarenteed for all members of all sides of the community, then yes, I would accept that. If a fair and just police force was set up, and the loyalist and nationalist terror groups fully decommissioned, then yes, I would accept that. But we both know the chances of that happening. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/22 "2002-07-17T14:58:21Z")
Another Dub checking in. There is a very significant proportion of the population in the 26 counties who could not care less about events in Northern Ireland and take no interest in developments. They certainly do not feel part of the peace process and it’s a long time since the North has been a major electoral issue south of the border. As **yojimbo** said, the celtic tiger thing is a part of that and it seems there’s less engagement with politics generally, north or south. However, I take a keen interest in northern issues and I feel the peace process is about relationships generally on these islands, of which I am of course a part. However, it must be acknowledged that us southerners are not as acutely affected and, dare I say it, emotionally involved, as our northern brethern. I travel to the north regularly and have many friends who live north of the border. They are all Catholic and nationalist (a sad commentary perhaps) and are not partitionist in any way but I still try (not always successfully) to be sensitive to their deeper engagement and not make easy judgements and pronouncements from the comfort of Dublin. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/23 "2002-07-17T14:59:50Z")
Unfortunately the majority of people in the South are not republicans terrorists so it wouldn’t matter what they voted for but I would guess that if there was such a vote and there was a guarantee that all violence would stop and people could just live in peace with no prejudice against **either** side and the fairies could dance around the maypoles etc. then we would vote for it but it ain’t going to happen. Both sides have too much history. You only have to look at Holy Cross to see the depths of the hate. We voted to remove our claims on NI and so we’ve already accepted that we’re out of the game so to speak unless as per the GFA the majority in NI vote for a united Ireland. Then the shit hits the fan IMO. [Worst Case Senario]Loyalist bombs and terror groups will target the South. Republicans will come off cease-fire and go to war. Somebody that is close to **me** will be caught up in it and then I may go to war :([/Worst Case Senario] ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/24 "2002-07-17T15:03:41Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by yojimbo_ > **Aro well it’s part of my country why shouldn’t I be interested** So you were crossing your fingers when you voted to amend Article 2, then…? 😉 > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aro \* > **Actually, is there any record in the modren era of a country that exists, dissolving and returning to ownership of a larger country? I usually seems that smaller factions re-create, with more countries being formed from inside larger ones (See USSR, Yugoslavia, Czech. Rep. etc…).** Hong Kong - while not officially a ‘country’ (but NI’s a ‘province’ itself), it went from being a British controlled statelet to ‘reabsorption’ (though the ‘re’ part of that is debatable). ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/25 "2002-07-17T15:13:03Z")
Hong Kong was always on a 99 year lease… Though some might argue NI was always on borrowed time too… If there was a vote in NI and a majority said “Yes” to a united Ireland, how would you guys in Dublin enjoy paying my dole money / council funding / schools / hospitals? Especailly if the UK just turned around and walked away. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/26 "2002-07-17T15:26:32Z")
Sorry, the thread had moved on significantly by the time I posted. IMHO, peace, justice, equality and stability are the priorities at the moment. Basically, at the risk of sounding corny, the main thing is upholding the right of members of both communities to fulfil their potential in a peaceful society. That right is currently denied to everyone in both communities. But it must be accepted that this involves a recognition that all political aspirations have equal legitimacy, including the aspiration to achieve a united Ireland. What has no legitimacy is the use of arms to achieve those aspirations. Obviously an united Ireland would require majority support on both sides of the border. **Aro** has a point - depending on the circumstances, a southern majority might not be easily secured. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/27 "2002-07-17T15:27:35Z")
well, we’d also have your taxes / industry / tourism / workforce to help us pay for it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/28 "2002-07-17T15:29:49Z")
Well you’d be paying for it as you’d be paying taxes to the Irish exchequer. More tax BTW. If you stayed you’d be Irish and have exactly the same rights as myself so I’d be an idiot if I had a problem with it. Oh and your dole would go up 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/29 "2002-07-17T16:10:06Z")
As I understood it at the moment, the standard of living may well drop in the North in that event due to the (massive) amount of UK funding currently being thrown at NI. (But I can’t find a cite with any figures). Maybe that’s just my perception. And maybe some companies might be willing to invest here in the wake of the troubles, so that might help too. Apologies for posting random things, my head is up my a…err…in the clouds today. Talk soon 😃 ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390/30 "2002-07-17T16:18:37Z")
**Twisty, yojimbo** , I’m playing devil’s advocate here but British transfer payments to Northern Ireland are massive. The ratio of public sector to private sector employees is far higher than it is down south. NI isn’t within an asses roar from being self-sufficent. Obviously, the security situation plays a huge part in this. However, even with the reduced security costs, greater private sector employment etc. which would come with ‘normalisation’, it’s a long road to NI being in a position to pay its share. I support a United Ireland but I recognise that I would have to pay for it. And if there was a serious loyalist paramilitary campaign… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ira-apology-to-innocent-victims-a-step-forward/119390.md?page=1)