I don't know about anyone else, but I get very uncomfortable with these conversations when they descend to abuse.

Calling each other 'daft' and 'arseholes' and the like.

We obviously hold different shades of opinion, but lets try and keep it civilised.

And this in a way is an answer to your question, Ard.


My father fought with the Irish Guards in the last war driving a tank. When I was a young idiot, I took him to task for wearing the Kings uniform and killing people he didn't even know. He said to me , Of course I killed people that was what we were there for.

I asked him what was morally different about the people who had killed people in the camps over in Germany - some of which he was there for the liberation of. He simply said, it was different, and if you had been commanded to do those things, a civilised person would have let them kill you first.

After the war, he resumed his job as a detective on the Boston police force. In those days, if they caught murderers - they hanged them. In my young idiot role, I asked him - how could you let yourself be part of that?

He said, Yes I tried to stop people who needed stopping, but if they ever ask ME to hang someone, that's the day I tell them to stuff their job.

I believe there is a dicernible difference. I thank God, I've never had to discern it.

Starving yourself to death in the full knowledge that your death will trigger reprisal murders and counter reprisals...... it makes me shudder, and I wish Bobby Sands was at home now enjoying his middle years.

I'm not even anti IRA. I thought the guys who drove a van and did a rocket attack on Downing Street were really brave. I know my relatives were involved in the organisation sometime in the 1930's.

But no, I don't approve of what Bobby Sands did. I'm not sure what the 1970's/80's campaign achieved. I feel pretty bloody sure that all the democratic processes had not been exhausted before unleashing the terror.

Most Irish people would be astonished at the the average English person's ignorance of, and indifference to their politics.

We weren't aware of your grievances, and the democratic structure and free press existed to put things right. Putting bombs in our cities and killing our young soldiers just closed peoples ears.