First off the name.......... Armalite, isn't it another terrible, trendy, ad-man word, to sell make a deadly killing machine sound like the latest got-to-have material possession?

Mick.

I have, at your invitation looked very carefully at most of the many threads and your contributions on this subject and have formed the opinion, rightly or wrongly, that you see things somewhat differently to the way I see them. You appear to see a pro Unionist, anti Republican bias here, that I do not and seem to judge people, question their knowledge and generally react first and ask questions afterwards, based on that misconception.

There is no such bias here and it does not help the discussion of the painful issues involved, for contributors to have to defend a position that they do not in fact hold. The majority of the postings here are bending over backwards NOT appear to be supporting ANY side.

You do not appear to like it much when it is suggested that you are not entitled to your views on the subject, because of your distance and nationality or whatever, but this is what I see that you are constantly doing to others. I have taken issue with you before on this and your response was to imply that I had some hidden agenda, or opposite view to you. You are welcome to your views and to express them and strange as it might seem, my views are probably closer to yours than you may think. I have not expressed those views here before in any detail, but will express some later in this post.

I do find your position and views to be somewhat confused. In the 'Derry' thread you disagreed when someone said that they regretted that Margaret Thatcher had not died as a result of violence. This from someone who openly admitted (in another thread) to having contributed, in the past, to the armed struggle? Surely monetary support to such a cause surely does give you a say in who dies in it and who doesn't?

Mick says.

"I will never allow one sided discussion to go unchallenged on this subject. The English have had it that way for too long as it pertains to the country of my Grandparents".

Penny has responded well to the above, with good common sense and the only thing I would like to add is this.

The common working Englishman/woman was the first victim of the greed and brutality of the British Empire and has not only had to endure the same exploitation as all the other 'subjects', of other lands, done in their name, but has had to listen to those 'subjects' forever placing the blame on them.

That blame has long been accepted by most of the UK and it is because of that, the efforts are being made by the Party that I voted for, to bring some degree of equality to Northern Ireland. To be fair to Mr Blair's predecessor, Mr Major, it should be pointed out that his administration did more toward that end, than Mrs Thatcher, in all the time she was in office.

In fact had not been for the attempt to kill her and all the members of her government and the resulting sympathy for the survivors, we may have had an end to the violence and a settlement some time ago?

My thoughts, hopes and prayers are with all those people who work hard and continue to struggle, to bring peace to all those in Ireland.