Criminality does matter
23 April 2006
Hain's remarks today confirm what was central to the Blair/Ahern statement of 6 April, namely the Government is ready to turn a blind eye to IRA criminality. Hence his attempt to bounce Unionism by focusing solely on violence. For Unionism, however, the issue is not just about direct IRA violence, its about attaining an irreversible end to the whole panopy of their activities, including criminality in all its forms. Hain may wish to ignore this, but we will not.
