LETTERS A voice from within
Sir: I would respectfully suggest to Andrew Roberts that the course of action against the IRA advocated by him in the Sunday Times and The Spectator (Letters, 16 March), would in fact be the best recruiting sergeant that could be presented to nation- alist fundamentalists in Ireland at the pre- sent time. It would also ensure that the SDLP would play no constructive role in the search for a sensible political settlement in the foreseeable future. In short, if what he proposes were to be adopted by the British Government, civil war in Ireland would be the likely outcome. The best way to judge the possible success of any anti-terrorist strategy is to ask the experts, the terrorists themselves, in this case the Provisional IRA.
I spent 16 years involved with that organ- isation, much of it at a fairly senior level, so I should be competent enough to under- stand how they view most things. If the British Government were to introduce internment unilaterally, the whoops of delight from the Provisionals would be fol- lowed by political destabilisation in Ireland on a scale not seen since the 1920s. Any- body who fails to understand such inev- itable results is dangerously ill-equipped to pontificate on Irish affairs.
If, however, as Ruth Dudley Edwards proposed in her article, 'The case for internment' (9 March), internment were to be introduced at the opportune moment, with the government of the Irish Republic playing the lead role, then the Provisional war dance would be effectively over. The single biggest fear of the Provisional leader- ship is that internment will be introduced by a Southern government. I believe that this should, if necessary, happen sooner rather than later. I believe that John Bru- ton should make it clear to the IRA that one more act of violence on their part will see the leadership picked up and dumped somewhere, until they are an awful lot older. Such a move by a Dublin govern- ment would effectively place the Provision- als outside the Irish nationals' family, and make it much easier for the British Govern- ment to introduce internment if necessary. I would even dare to suggest that it might not be necessary.
I must also point out to Mr Roberts that there is a saying in the Provisionals: 'You can always rely on the Brits to get the Provos out of trouble.' If the British Government were to do as Mr Roberts suggests, then that is exactly what they would be doing. Perhaps Mr Roberts would like to take this opportu- nity to reflect on why people cannot write authoritatively on matters about which they do not possess solid working knowledge.
Sean O'Callaghan
HM Prison Maghaberry, Northern Ireland
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