F*****g pathetic.

The police are getting touchy too - McCausland claimed that there have been 18 attempted shootings and bombings in the feud so far, and that they have saved lives.

They're also pointing to 90 house searches and 20 arrests — 10 leading to charges - as evidence of being on the case.

Gonzo

The police could be getting touchy because the NIO officials are in close contact with those community leaders in loyalism.. while the police are trying to deal with gangsterism masquerading as loyalism *ahem*

The attitude of the British government is outrageous.

"NIO officials continue to be in close contact with community leaders in loyalism to try to bring this ongoing violence to an end."

"Community leaders" is undoubtedly a euphemism for the paramilitary leadership. Loyalist paramilitaries have no representation at any election so what is there to negotiate about ? Would Peter Hain negotiate with drug dealers and criminals in his constituency, and if he did would he expect to be voted back into office ?

So are the UVF on ceasefire or not?
And if it was deemed they were not what implications would it have?
Is there a high profile arrest that could be made like J Adair or S Kelly?
Would this make a difference?

It would seem there may be a degree of 'protection' from the psni for their touts.

When the 'volunteers' invaded garnerville could something more not have been done, after all it seemed like it was an illegal gathering. The UVF also made it quite clear it was their 'volunteers' hence a gathering of thugs from a proscribed organisation.
I wonder would the psni approach been the same if a similar amount of masked men had gathered in Ardoyne or Ballymurphy.

Impartial, effective policing?

Re the lack of arrests in Ahoghill.

Something ain't right here. First the PSNI inform the public that catholics are getting fire blankets due to 'intelligence' pointing to continued attacks, then we hear how they 'need' the public to intervene to ensure arrests.

If this intelligence does exist- which I have no reason to believe it doesn't- then why can't they use it to arrest those involved; after all, Ahoghill ain't exactly the largest village in the north.

The uvf have a large supoport base from the residents within these loyalist areas.

Clearly, sizable sections of loyalist areas are still wedded to violence and are happy to support these drug gangs

In recent years "community" has become a convenient metaphor for a collection of scumbags for whom community and civilised behaviour are meaningless. I'm with the "Newt" on this one when he equated "community activist" to "bigoted old slapper".

The NIO really are pathetic when they release such drivel as "gangsterism masquerading as loyalism". What exactly do they consider loyalism to be other than killing as many Catholics as possible? Do they think all this nasty murder/drugs/extortion/prostitution/robbery stuff is somehow not real loyalism. For the rest of us this is the stuff of loyalist terror and it is turning protestant working class areas into wastelands. Has anyone walked or driven through one of these flag bedecked blighted areas recently? A Ballymurphy of 30 years ago comes to mind but with no betterment even on the horizon. Who on earth would want to risk life/limb/money by investing in such dangerous places. Until the PSNI take these scum on, prosecute and jail them, this wil run and run.....

Yes, I too am sick to death of "community leader" and "community activist" being used as shorthand for paramilitaries bosses. The police are particularly fond of appealing to these people for help and for them to "use their influence".
Not only are they beginning to sound more like social workers by the day, they are abrogating their responsibilities to the local scum and elevating them above the ordinary citizen. No wonder people are cowed and almost without hope when they see the police pleading with the local mafia leaders.

"The uvf have a large supoport base from the residents within these loyalist areas."

Jamie
Except when it comes to elections, presumably.

Despite appearances and loyalist paramilitaries fond of giving the impression of big support, in no sizeable area that I know of does the critical mass of the population support any loyalist group. Fearful acquiesence and keeping your mouth shut does not amount to support.

Why are the DUP so quiet about all of this?

4 murders and they're still 'on ceasefire'. What sort of f**king country do we live in?

'Fearful acquiesence and keeping your mouth shut does not amount to support.'

Good post.

beano

"What sort of f**king country do we live in?"

a deviant, defective and failed one, beano - are you coming around to the dark side? :-)

Jacko

why would you support parties with paramilitary links when the mainstream parties pursue similar agenda?

Many times in NI politics I don't know whether to laugh or cry but the NIO's really reaches new lows.

Jacko

"community activist"

The sad thing about this media euphemism is that people doing decent work can't appear without fearing they get labbeled as quasi/proxy/actual paramilitaries. I know of a couple of people who got out of the sector because of this negatove image.

Beano

"What sort of f**king country do we live in?"

A country where the political elite was sold the idea by the political elite of a neighbouring country (who had been sold it by John Hume and Gerry Adams) that an agreement and political process which pandered to paramilitaries and turned a blind eye to certain activities e.g. intra-community murder crime etc would lead to a peaceful and democratic society when it actually involves communities, civic society and democratic structures being debased.

Sadly as long as the scum stay in their reservations the rest don`t really give a flying fuck. Scumbag prod murders scumbag prod scumbag taig murders scumbag taig -who really cares?

The problems in Ahoghill or wherever are a product of a polarised society. Reprehensibly ?people want to live with their own,its safer,it is perceived--ts better for everybody if themuns move out.

"Fearful acquiesence and keeping your mouth shut does not amount to support."

Worth repeating. Our lives are interned by these scum. No law abiding private citizen, can be expected to take on armed bands of outlaws. Politicians and journalists think twice, and now we have 'Provisional' British Unionists criticising the police for heavy handedness. Their vaunted UK citizenship was conditional on having the whip hand over the catholics, they have no principled objection to paramilitarism or street disorder it seems.

The law indulges armed conspiracies, respecting the rights of its members as individuals while they conspire to crush the rights of others.

Is it that bureaucratically constrained government ministers quietly wish they could get away with freebooting abuse too, and have a soft spot for these free fascist spirits? 'Civilians' are so painfully needy, nervous, and nag on about right and wrong, and there are oh so many of them. 'Commanders' are much more straightforward?

More likely is that the Brits still have the kid gloves on for paramilitaries of all colours, as they want to leave Sinn Fein responsible for the mismanagement of the peace process.

But what if the army council were quietly more comfortable with Balkanisation?

The revolutionistas among the angry fenians believing that with the workers all armed, how could they not agree to establish the socialist republic?

Where are those IRA guns anyhow?

"Where are those IRA guns anyhow?"

For the time being it doesn't matter where they are as long as they remain quiet.