[Timesink]

I'll believe it when I see it. The IRA are terrorists just like Al-Qaida.

[spycatcher]

Actually the IRA keeps the violence to "acceptable" levels to make a political point and doesn't seem to be into killing thousands of people for fun and profit.

[slhill]

Yes they are terrorists. Not they're not very much like Al Qaeda. They have a limited and clear agenda; they are relatively secular, relatively nationalist, relatively working class and relatively socialist and wholly political; they have claimed responsibility for most of their attacks in the past; they have a political wing; they have been moving--inching--towards giving up violence; they do not wish to institute vicious theocracies across the civilised world. I wish any of that were true of Al Qaeda.

[irishfest]

The American "patriots" in 1776 were terrorists to the English too. The English need to get out of Ireland and let them govern themselves. It has work for the USA.

[billbears]

Let's see. The IRA wants Ireland to be self-governed, a free state. Another country, Great Britain, who BTW has had plenty of experience with this very issue, refuses to turn Ireland over to the Irish instead giving them a few pitiful spots in the British government to speak up uselessly in Parliament where they will not be heard.

Yes, these Irish are terrorists of the worse kind. How dare they? They've been given pitiful representation opportunities within the Empire. They should use peaceful means to achieve their objective

And if the United StateS of America did that 226 years ago, we would still be bowing to the Queen of England