Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Pharmacist
Maybe a couple of generations down the line you might see the situation change to the one which the Good Friday agreement was hoping to achieve. In the meantime it's going to continue to simmer away. The IRA are still active in an ever changing guise. Not to the level they once were, but still as dangerous as ever. I don't think that the decommissioning of weapons was ever completely adhered to by both sides. The main communities, to an extent, feel betrayed by policing and concessions given to each other. I can't even begin to imagine how people feel when they see individuals that they know have ordered, and taken part in, evil atrocities walking about freely and taking up positions in Government. I don't feel we have the right to expect both sides to just shake hands and get on with it. Everyone is entitled to justice, and until certain people are seen to receive it, and not be above it, it'll continue the way it is.
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If peace can be maintained I am hoping that, as generations are born and die, that it will become easier for them all to put the past behind them.
As an example, we are now no longer enemies with Germany and it is considered impolite to mention the wars when conversing with German people.
I'm not sure when relations completely normalised after the fall of Hitler but it can't have been that long, even though both sides must have had their grievances and lost loved ones.
I have friends in Belfast from both sides, but even to this day, some would never speak to each other unless they had to eg in a work situation.