[lbo-talk] "IRA" Attacks on British Army Base.

[Philip Pilkington]

I wasn't claiming that there need be large scale support for extremist
Republican groups. I was saying just the opposite - namely, that these
groups only need a few members to cause major headaches for politicians, the
military and the civilian base at large. The subsequent attack on the police
officer by what seems to have been a different group supports this
hypothesis ( http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0310/craigavon.html). As for the
boost to the Northern economy; that is completely contingent, based on the
current exchange rate and will not last.

The major problem I'm alluding to regarding the new post-9/11 and 7/7
approach to counter-terrorism is that certain lobbies within certain British
institutions will be pushing hard for involvement in any Republican, and
perhaps even anti-Republican, violence. These guys have too much cash flow
and not enough to do with it. Any chance to chase actual terrorists rather
than kicking around with shepherds in the Tora Bora mountain range would
surely get the bosses all hot and bothered. Apparently this is, in fact,
being considered at the moment.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/MoD-names-soldiers-killed-in.5051798.jp

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Security Minister Lord West said there would be a reassessment of the
resources allocated to counter-terrorism in Northern Ireland in the light of
the shootings.

Currently the Security Service, MI5, allocates 15% of its counter-terrorism
budget to Northern Ireland.

"Inevitably when anything like this happens you look at it again," Lord West
told reporters at a briefing in London.

He said that they had been aware for some time of the growing threat from
splinter groups in the Province.

"It was a dreadful atrocity. These splinter groups we knew were forming," he
said.