Hmmmm, you may want to change the title of your post.

Was there an earlier statement by Bush? I didn't see it in the link.

It's a shame to hear about the recent developments in Northern Ireland. I had high hopes for the Good Friday agreement.

You know what *they* say, one man's terrorist is another man's leader of the IRA.

Pity he wasn't "dissed" a bit more in the U.S. when the I.R.A. were actually an active terrorist outfit bombing on the mainland. Funding and support was all they received from the U.S. back then. Better late than never I suppose. One mans terrorist..........

Shawn, compared to the slaughter of the last 30 odd years, there is still much to be optimistic about in Ireland. It was always going to take generations to bury the hatred,but at least it is mainly heated arguments making the news these days and not killings,

My God Bush does something I like and agree with. (Falls down in shock)

Nice to see America has decided to stop pandering to terrorists it used to fund.

"Nice to see America has decided to stop pandering to terrorists it used to fund."

Uh, proof of that idiotic statement?

I agree this is the right move but I'm baffled this comes from the same man who earlier this week was gushing over his hopes of Hezbollah in the peace process.

Radical Redkneck it has been known for several decades that the majority of the IRA's funding and support came from AMERICA. Mainly the boston irish and other irish democrats.

Taken from bbc news website story dated may 2001.
The State Department said the group dif receive considerable support in the US. Richard Lister reports that many Irish Americans who are opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process have switched their allegiance from the mainstream IRA.

http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=55
See toolbar on left handside

the following taken from website http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/oct2001/ire-o31.shtml
In a World Socialist Web Site article of October 25, we drew attention to American interests in Northern Ireland and the fact that “Sinn Fein has sought to recast itself in the role of a favoured political representative of American imperialism.” The article by Ruddock says, “Adam’s principal concern remained the maintenance of warm relations with the American administration and the preservation of millions of dollars from rich, conservative Irish-Americans.”

more to follow

http://www.msnbc.com/modules/Ireland/ira.htm
Funding: British and Irish intelligence suggests the IRA’s funds are primarily drawn from bank robberies in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland itself. Additional funds are raised from Irish immigrant communities abroad, especially in the United States, Canada and Australia. Protection rackets and, more recently, computer fraud schemes also fund IRA activities. Sinn Fein, as a legal political party, raises money separately and is severely scrutinized by British officials. The party won the right to raise money in the United States in 1994 after the IRA’s cease-fire took effect.

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20050313-091432-4222r.htm
For the last 3½ years, one of the most persistent streams of correspondence I've had is from British readers sneering, "Oh-ho. So America's now waging a war on 'terror', is she? Well, where were the bloody Yanks the last 30 years? Passing round the collection box for IRA donations in the bars of Boston and New York, that's where."
They have a point. Blowing up grannies and schoolkids at bus stops is always wrong, and the misty shamrock-hued sentimentalization of it in this particular manifestation speaks poorly for America, the principal source for decades of IRA funding.

"Nice to see America has decided to stop pandering to terrorists it used to fund."

Uh, proof of that idiotic statement?

Uh, point of that idiotic comment ?

It’s great to hear that Bush, and Kennedy (!) are snubbing the IRA. It’s even better to hear that the Irish are trying to dismember the organization. One man’s terrorist is not another man’s freedom fighter. I’m Irish Catholic, with relatives in Ireland, and I think the Catholics should have forced the IRA terrorist groups to disband back in the 70's.

And the Irish protestants should have done the same with the Loyalist terrorist groups.

Nick – your description of terrorism in Ireland leaves out half of the equation. What about the Loyalist groups who have killed more civilians in total than the IRA? They’ve committed just as much violence in the name of continuing British rule in Ireland as the IRA has committed fighting Britain – and yet the source of Loyalist/Orangemen funding remains unclear. Supposedly, their support of the British military presence comes entirely from random robberies.

http://cfrterrorism.org/groups/uvf2.html#Q12

It’s funny that this small group of Loyalist thieves have managed to stand up to the great ‘American Imperialist’ funded IRA. I wonder if these supporters of the British Government and the British military have a source of funding that would rather stay in the shadows?

The loyalists terror groups, like the IRA, are paramilitary thugs. I imagine that their funding comes mainly from organised crime and donations. Drugs in the West of Scotland being one group.

"small group of loyalist theives"

The Protestants are in the majority in Ulster (which is why the IRA, and the South can go and fuck themselves until such a time that demographic changes renders them to be the minority). Not such a small band.

American imperialists ???? What are you on about ? We are perfectly aware that it is a bunch of well meaning idiots that funded the Ra. It's just taken long enough for those in power to condemn them. I guess this was due to a large Irish vote as opposed to imperialism.

American imperialists ???? What are you on about ?

I was responding to Nick’s quote which said “Sinn Fein has sought to recast itself in the role of a favoured political representative of American imperialism.”

Yes, the loyalist terror groups are equivalent to the IRA, and now both probably get their income from drugs and theft. Both groups should be dismantled – they should have been dismantled decades ago.

It’s nice to see that Americans and Irish Catholics in Ireland are condemning the IRA. I hope that protestants in Ireland and the British are also condemning Loyalist terror groups and their psychotic leaders.

They are, aren't they?

Apart from an "orange" community in the West of Scotland, the vast majority of British people wish a plague on both their houses. The driving force behind the "troubles" in Ulster over the last 40 years has been it's demographic make up, as opposed to a desire by Britain to keep the province. The first British troops sent in in 1969 were actually there to protect Catholics from Loyalist thugs.
Churchill even offered Ulster to the Republic in the early 40s in exchange for Irish support in the war. This was refused for two main reasons.

1) Opportunism - the U.S. was not involved in the war at this point, and the possibility of Britain being invaded by the Nazis was very real. To be fair, aside from harbouring the odd Nazi U Boat, Ireland was largely on Britain's side.
2) De Vallera's political stronghold would have been broken by the influx into the system of the Protestant North.
There is a long and complicated history regarding Ulster - for the last 30 years most people in Britain would have been happy to see the back of it.

In tracing the roots of the conflict, I could back to Cromwell, the land grab, tenant farming, the suppression of Irish language and culture, the potato famine, the Easter uprising and Michael Collins, but why bother? It seems that the British, the Americans and most of the Irish public are on the same page now - we’d all be happy to see the end of the conflict and the terror groups.

Better to discuss the pros and cons of green beer, or Jameson’s vs. Scotch.

Aye, you are right. I was deliberately just referring to the latter half of the 20th century so Britains role didn't look too bad......

A plague on both their houses. sums it up. isn't the line "a plague O'er both your houses? Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet?

To go back to the original point of the post todays Independent has several pages of stories about Bush and the McCartney family. Nice one Dubya.

I really cannot believe the people on this website. Northern Ireland belongs to Ireland not England. There needs to be a change now... I support Seinn Fein because they want the Brits out. I can't believe the US hasn't done anything about this. Tiocfaidh ár Lá