McGrath, I must say I find one element of your argument more bothersome than bothersomely correct.

With SF now not merely in parliament but also in government, it is ridiculous to equate the British Army with the IRA or any other paramilitary faction, as you seem to do.

Whatever its past excesses, some of which I have seen, and most of which were no more or less than might have been expected from deploying soldiers in civilian communities, the British Army is accountable to an elected parliament and the IRA is not. I don't rule out that elements of the British Army might indulge in criminal behaviour, but in that event I would hope to see justice prevail, just as I am hopeful that it will belatedly prevail in relation to Bloody Sunday. Against that, there is absolutely no military action available to the IRA that is not criminal. If the IRA is maintaining itself in readiness for such criminal behaviour then that too, in my book, is criminal. To justify it by saying that the government and its security agencies are doing the same is just risible.