I believe the major reason for the restricted progress towards peace that has been made over the years in Northern Ireland is the lack of trust. With the IRA refusing to decommission, a step back was made instead of a step forward. The IRA is reluctant to decommission its arms because it fears enemy paramilitary groups will target and attack it and the Catholic community. The IRA does not want to risk being caught unprotected. It may also see it as surrender, rendering the sacrifices made by the many who died for the cause unnecessary, an insult to their memory. If they had all fulfilled the terms of the Good Friday Agreement then trust would have been found between them and the British army. If the IRA do not decommission, then there will never be peace.
It is not often that there is any input from ordinary people about the future of Northern Ireland. …
