ard mhacha, McGrath *always* talks sense. It's so frustrating. :) Me oul da', God rest him, always called himself a "pollyanna" -- eternal optimist -- and I guess the mantle descends. Granted that I'm not Over There, experiencing discrimination, hatred, and physical danger. But I'm reluctant to accept that compromise is *impossible*. Seems some has already occurred---the GF Agreement itself, the Council of NI itself; granted, again, that its collapse seems always imminent. Is it not the case that there are Loyalists, and then there are Loyalists? Just as there are Republicans, and then again there are other Republicans? I pray so.

Ireland, far be it from me ever to wish for anyone's personal demise (well yes, perhaps I make *certain* exceptions, Saddam); but just in terms of nature taking its course, isn't Rev. Paisley getting a bit long in the tooth, as they say? What is he, 80? Surely he has nothing to fear from the Judgement of his Maker, Whom he *knows* is a fellow Orangeman after all...On the other hand, if he *should* somehow wind up in the Other Place, he could busy himself spraypainting "No Pope Here" upon the smoldering walls...the (norn)irony wouldn't occur to him...:)

OKOK, I'll agree with you about the spying. Political spying, while surely common everywhere, is at the least a Dirty Trick even when there *aren't* armed militiae lurking in the alleyways to put a fearsome edge on it. Here in Far Americay we had our fill of it with ol' DurtyTrickyDick Nixon and his stupidarsed "Plumbers"; but of course it goes on still. ("Moles" in the other party's camp, etc.)With the paramilitaries---plural---around, I do indeed take your point.

As to vote-poaching: also pandemic; & also unacceptable of course. But I doubt that SF's electoral gains have been significantly enhanced via robbery. (Unlike SF/IRA's *finances*, which, I gather, have.)