Was Derry car bomb a reaction to Tory arrogance?

Fireball: The explosion on Bishop Street, Londonderry was caught on camera.

Terrorism has reared its ugly head again in Northern Ireland, it seems – although interestingly the mass media are steering away from the word.

A car bomb – in a hijacked pizza van, we’re told – exploded outside a courthouse in Londonderry at around 8.10pm on Saturday (January 19).

Police were informed at around 8pm, leaving less than 10 minutes to evacuate people from neighbouring buildings which included a hotel, Freemasons’ hall, and a youth club. There were no casualties.

The lack of notice has led police to describe the attack as “unbelievably reckless”, and it is these words that the mainstream media have adopted, rather than referring to terrorism.

In fact, there seems a strong attempt to play down the incident:

But investigations have centred on the New IRA, one of a handful of republican groups that have rejected power-sharing and the Good Friday Agreement, and which makes a point of targeting police and courts.

Two men have been arrested. But the incident raises an important question:

Why now?

The timing seems significant as not only has the power sharing system brought about after the Good Friday Agreement stalled, but it seems Theresa May is determined to sideline the needs of Northern Ireland in her Brexit deal with the European Union.

There has been no government in Stormont since early 2017, after a row between Sinn Fein and the DUP over a botched renewable energy scheme.

And of course Brexit has revived concerns over the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and over NI’s constitutional status.

The Conservative government in Westminster seems conspicuously relaxed about both situations.

Doesn’t the attitude of Theresa May and her government seem deliberately provocative to people in Northern Ireland who were unhappy with the peace process in the first place? I’m not suggesting she is responsible for the actions of other people, but she certainly has a responsibility to prevent any return to the so-called “Troubles”.

Aren’t the delay over restoring the government in Stormont, and the failure to overcome the border controversy, an opportunity for such republicans to claim the peace process has failed and go back to violence?

Isn’t that what happened in Derry on Saturday night?

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No Comments

  1. corneleus51 January 20, 2019 at 3:01 pm - Reply

    Interesting that after many years of terrorism in Northern Ireland, a peace accord was negotiated between The Ira and the Labour Government. After many, many years of the troubles, a peace treaty was introduced and was observed by all sides. Then the Tories got back in power, complete with bribes to the right wing in Northern Ireland. Now it appears that, as with everywhere we invade and take over, the people get fed up being ruled by money grubbers who bribe the press, bribe the judges and reward the already rich with colossal tax breaks and on and on it goes again. Why do we give the rich a party designed to enrich only the already rich? Is this really democracy to pamper the rich and starve the poor to death? I am quite surprised the activists in England aren’t turning to terrorism!

  2. Growing Flame January 20, 2019 at 4:17 pm - Reply

    The apparent attempt to play down the significance of the bomb must reflect a desire to minimise fears about the “No Deal” Brexit affecting the Belfast Peace Agreement. The Right Wing Press has constantly rejected criticisms of “No Deal” as being inflated fear-mongering. They must be very anxious about any suggestion that trouble will flare up again in Ireland precisely because the British government,, and , especially the English Nationalist wing of the Tory Party ,is simply indifferent to the damage that Brexit will cause to Ireland.In the same way, hardly any news emerges from Gibraltar where 98% of the people voted “Remain” and generations of “patriotic” Britons have extolled the loyalty of gallant, little Gibraltarians. Yet the gallant little Gibraltarians were completely ignored by Brexit voters who were entirely indifferent to their genuine worries.

    Recent statistics reveal that the bulk of Brexit voters were better-off people between the ages of 50 to 75 , living in rural counties and the South of England.

  3. nmac064 January 20, 2019 at 4:36 pm - Reply

    How many more before the Tory idiots see sense?

  4. Jill Francis January 20, 2019 at 6:10 pm - Reply

    On,y a matter of time then until the MSM start bleating about Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘support’ of the IRA. Wonder what the headl8nes might be tomorrow 🤔

  5. Stu January 20, 2019 at 9:38 pm - Reply

    This needs to be swept under the rug asap for the Tories.
    Daily Heil readers may start connecting the IRA with Corbyn as usual and in retaliation fair minded individuals will remind them of Unionist bombings and executions and the UK taxpayer funded DUP / Tory bung will then be highlighted and put under scrutiny.

    Be interested to see the newspaper headlines tomorrow as well as what May will say about it all in Parliament tomorrow…

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