"The actions of the British army in the North of Ireland was one of shame, murder and collusion."

That one I particularly liked coming from someone defending the actions of the "bold" PIRA - Illustrates perfectly their balance and perspective.

I would love to hear this guys take on the thousands of completely innocent civilian lives lost, the vast majority of that number being the very people they claimed to be "protecting", along with the 30,000 people maimed and injured. Throughout the period of this so called epic struggle of which Sands was a willing participant, not one instance can be found or put forward where a member of any paramilitary group in Northern Ireland gave their lives in defence of a member of the civilian population - I discount of course PIRA bombers who managed to blow themselves up either making or transporting their bombs.

Sands was a shoddy little terrorist, who did exactly as his "masters" bade him to do, if that meant planting bombs in shopping centres that he probably did and would have done, if it meant committing acts of murder he probably did and would have done, if it had meant him carrying out punishment beatings and knee-cappings he probably did and would have done - After all as a member of the PIRA, which he undoubtedly was, as a "Volounteer" what choice would he have?

But please do not expect me to show him or any other member of any other Northern Ireland paramilitary organisation any respect or admiration.

On the subject of collusion, who was it the Official IRA and the PIRA colluded with to get rid of that nuisance organisation called the INLA? Who was it that factions within the INLA colluded with to resolve their squalid little internal tiffs and get back at the PIRA?

Oh as to the British Army having withdrawn from Northern Ireland - There twice the number of troops in Northern Ireland than there are in Afghanistan and six times the number in Northern Ireland than we have in Iraq - or at least there were last time I checked. They have every right to be there it is after all part of the United Kingdom of great Britain and Northern Ireland.