From Reuters. Why now? Al quaida?QuoteDUBLIN (Reuters) - The Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland on Thursday, in a move British leader Tony Blair said could mark the day "politics replaces terror" there.But the province's main Protestant party poured cold water on the keenly awaited statement by the Catholic guerrilla group, saying it failed to forswear acts of crime or to inspire confidence that guns had been set aside for ever.The IRA said in a statement it would cease all armed activity and pursue its aims through politics -- a crucial move to kick-start talks on a lasting political settlement in the violence-torn province. It said its units must "dump arms."But it made no explicit reference to ending criminal activity -- a major stumbling block to the peace process -- nor did it promise to disband, a move the group that has fought for decades for a united Ireland sees as akin to surrender.The statement read in part:"The leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann (IRA) has formally ordered an end to the armed campaign."This will take effect from 4 p.m. this afternoon. All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms. All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programs through exclusively peaceful means."The IRA said it would engage with an independent arms decommissioning body to verify it had put its massive arsenal of guns and explosives beyond use, but gave no date for completion."We have invited two independent witnesses, from the Protestant and Catholic churches, to testify to this," it added.In London, Prime Minister Blair welcomed the statement as "a step of unparalleled magnitude," adding: "I welcome its clarity, I welcome the recognition that the only route to political change lies in exclusively peaceful and democratic means.""This may be the day which finally after all these false dawns and dashed hopes peace replaced war, politics replaces terror on the island of Ireland," he told reporters. DUP SCEPTICALBut Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which supports continued union with Britain, was far less enthusiastic."Even on the face of the statement, they have failed to explicitly declare an end to their multi-million-pound criminal activity and have failed to provide the level of transparency that would be necessary to truly build confidence that the guns had gone in their entirety," a statement said.Talks on reviving an assembly, set up under the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement for Catholics and Protestants to run the province's affairs together, broke down in December after the DUP demanded photos of arms being destroyed. The IRA refused such "humiliation."The group has allowed international monitors to witness three private acts of decommissioning but would not permit them to reveal any details about the weapons.The IRA had been expected to outline plans for its future since April, when its political ally Sinn Fein called for the guerrillas to end armed struggle.A high-profile robbery and murder blamed on the IRA fanned calls for it to disband and sparked harsh censure of Sinn Fein from traditional supporters, notably in the United States.Earlier on Thursday, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams promised the statement would "challenge" all parties to the Northern Ireland conflict.The DUP refuses to talk directly to Sinn Fein, still less sit in government with it, while it maintains links to the paramilitary organization.The IRA arsenal, used to wage a 30-year campaign against British rule until a 1997 cease-fire, has long been the main obstacle to a political deal. Some 3,600 people died during Northern Ireland's "Troubles," half of them killed by the IRA.Sinn Fein was to hold press conferences in Dublin and Washington at 1500 GMT and briefings in London and Brussels at the same time.

I know. It's truly a case of out with the old, in with the new

the "why now" Im not entirely sure of. I don't think this does have anything to do with Al Q'aida and the changing landscape of terrorism. Political ambitions in N. Ireland are stronger than ever. Maybe is just a case of a final awakening that violence and criminal activity are not achieving the ultimate goal although perhaps this is somewhat idealistic of me. Gerry Adams sees himself presiding over a united Ireland. He has 6 years to achieve this and to be in this position to oversee the centenary of the 1916 rising. Im in full agreement that IRA words historically have not been worth the semtex that follows them but there seems to be more clarity around this statement and its intentions than any I've heard before. As someone for Rep. of Eire I do view this as a massively significant step. It is however not (skeptically) welcomed by many hard-core republicans. I read a very interesting article in one of the Irish papers this morning that quoted some northern republicans:"a lot of good men who died would be turning in their graves, jsut like my stomach is turning over listenting to this". "This is the provisionals surrendering"."give all of the weapons up and the swines on the other side will come in and wipe us out like they did in 1969".There seems to be a feeling of defenselessness and abandonemement among republicans in the North. That the fight was for nothing. The cause has not been eliminated, the ultimate goal is the same, simply the means of achieving it has changed.

Quotethe "why now" I'm not entirely sure of. I don't think this does have anything to do with Al Q'aida and the changing landscape of terrorism. Political ambitions in N. Ireland are stronger than ever. Maybe is just a case of a final awakening that violence and criminal activity are not achieving the ultimate goal although perhaps this is somewhat idealistic of me.Yeh well that was my line of reasoning...was thinking that it was on the cards anyway and this would be good timing. There was a difference between the IRA and Al-Quaida though wasn't there? in that they would usually give a couple of minutes warning so people could (panic and) escape....Ithink one of the forst comments from the police on 7/7 was that they wern't used to dealing with bombs without recieving a warning.QuoteThere seems to be a feeling of defenselessness and abandonemement among republicans in the North. That the fight was for nothing. The cause has not been eliminated, the ultimate goal is the same, simply the means of achieving it has changed.you know, I'm not sure anyone ever got what they wanted by just asking, but maybe we are moving towards that kind of disagrement. I think what gives it potential to be a non (or less) violent battle is that the divisions are limited to ethnicity, and to the best of my understanding, not economics.

Paisley demands ban for Sinn Fein Ian Paisley is to urge the Government to ban Sinn Fein from any future power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland.Still seething over a major security scaledown in the province and sceptical about the IRA's pledge to end its armed struggle, the Democratic Unionist leader is to hold talks with Secretary of State Peter Hain in London.He will also meet Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday to vent his fury at demilitarisation moves involving the disbandment of Royal Irish Regiment battalions.Although the Government announced the normalisation process in response to the IRA's decision to abandon violence for politics, Mr Paisley refused to be convinced.He vowed: "The unionist people are not to be duped."It will be my business and the business of my colleagues to lay it on the line to both the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister that there can be no place in any future government of Northern Ireland for IRA/Sinn Fein."As the representatives of the majority of the Ulster population, we will not be engaged in any negotiations with that aim."The aim of the Belfast Agreement to put terrorists into government will not take place and if the Government, allied with IRA/Sinn Fein and the Dublin Government, press forward with such measures, then they will have to face the righteous indignation of the unionist population."Unionists have been stunned at the speed of the demilitarisation process.

I think the timing is quite independant of the London bombings.The McCartney murder made it impossible for the Kennedies and other American groups to support the IRA any longer. Also the huge bank robbery recently (circa 30 million quid) provided a nice pension fund. The vast majority of thiswas Northern Ireland notes. Although legal tender throughout Britain, they look quite different.They stole (i'd guess) something like a 20% of all the notes of that type.The government could have shafted them quite easily by withdrawing the note, and letting people change "reasonable" amounts into a new tpe, or standard British notes.Would have reduced the haul by about 60-80%.But they didn't.Wonder if that was part of the deal ?