But Gary, there was nothing about a 'token gesture' in the Good Friday agreement. General de Chastelain is on record as saying, not two days ago, that HIS reading of the penultimate statement by the IRA just before Peter Mandelson dissolved the Assembly, was that he believed decommissioning could very well be accomplished by the end of May.
Alison has said it, really. We have reiterated the same points over and over again, and although I welcome interested discussion on these topics, I feel that there are some who have contributed so far in this thread, that have neither read, or ignored previous threads on related issues.
It is curious that many have chosen this thread, and the earlier one, to debút on the Mudcat. They don't seem to want to discuss, or add to, any other threads that are circulating around.
I have no desire, therefore, to go over again anything else said before for the purpose of those who either choose not to be objective about 'Where do we go from here', or who deliberately post the way they do in order to get a response.
Handles like 'Crying Child'. Is that what you call yourself on other chat forums?, or were you trying to suit the handle to the thread. I know all about crying children. I was one myself from 1968 until I knew better.
Your cheap shot at emotionalism stopped dead at my front door. I have always had the greatest contempt for right wing thought, and that at least has not changed over the years.

The bottom line is that the pro-British faction have always been the most bitterest of the protagonists.
They seem to have a greater hate capacity than us Nationalists. They have NEVER wanted to share power with us, and this latest little upset is, as a lot of independent journalists are now reporting, the Ulster Unionists using their veto. Remember that David Trimble upped the ante when he imposed a Feb. 11 deadline on the start of decommissioning.
In the light of what General de Chastelain said on receiving the above mentioned statement by the IRA, it makes what Mr. Trimble did questionable at the least, and a very selfish way of ensuring his survival within the ranks of his own party.
Nothing could have been blamed on the IRA until the date of decommissioning had passed. I wonder if Trimble thought, like de Chastelain thought, that maybe the IRA could fulfil their part of the bargain.
With the IRA in decommission, the Unionists would have lost a large slice of their of their propaganda cake, and with it a lot of their power base. Can't have that, can we?
The guns are silent on BOTH sides. They have been silent for longer than I can remember. I am grateful for small mercies. Some day soon, perhaps, I can look forward to being able to walk down Market Street in Portadown again without having to look over my shoulder, or to walk past a policeman without his Sterling sub-machine and side arm. And to not have to worry if the British Army checkpoint in the middle of nowhere is not a Loyalist Death Squad, with uniforms and vehicles provided by the RUC.
The guns are silent. That is what should be worked on.