The implicit threat of a return to republican violence is the elephant in the room

Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Irish Labour will not go into coalition government with Sinn Fein because of its IRA connections, but in Northern Ireland it must be in government.

In any conversation with unionists who reluctantly tolerate this situation, it will not be long before they say: ‘If Sinn Fein is not in the Executive, the IRA will go back to violence.’

Curiously, this issue of the implicit threat of the return of IRA violence is not part of the mainstream public debate on Northern Ireland’s future. It is the elephant in the room.

Instead we have a Neville Chamberlain inspired fairy tale that we have ‘Peace for our time’.

The public spin is that ‘The war is over’, but this co-exists alongside a widespread unionist belief that the IRA could recommence its terrorist campaign if it does not get what it wants.

In such a situation, it is tempting to blame those critical of blackmail rather than the blackmailer.

I wonder if we are becoming an embarrassment to future generations?

Will they look back at what they will see as an unprincipled, materialistic and increasingly culture-free generation which was prepared to sell its birthright to appease the blackmailer, whilst lying to itself about why it was doing it?

If we knew that someone, somewhere had a contingency plan to crush a renewed IRA campaign within a few months of it restarting, would that prevent the current discussion being distorted by fear?

That could be the topic for a debate which may be worth starting.

Just how would we react to a renewed IRA campaign?

Dr Paul Kingsley, Belfast BT4