Yes I know the SAS and MI5 were very effective at penetrating the IRA. In fact in the 80’s infiltration techniques were working so well, young volunteers were being shot on the least suspicion that they might be in cahoots with the Brits. Although 9/11 and subsequent world events hastened the demise of the IRA (since corporate American money was no longer rolling into the coffers), I do think they were effectively beaten and allowed to save face. I had to smile as I watched Gerry Adams on BBC put a bold face on what many Republicans view as a sell out. After all the Orange Order is still marching, the jack is still flying, the troops are still there and a united Ireland is stilla hypothetical … far from the scenario envisaged when the campaign started.

The next year will be interesting.

Therefore my feelings about the "peace process" in NI are coloured somewhat by my firmly held conviction that even here the government is on the make. Whether it be brownie points for Saint Bliar, an extra inch in the history books or a few more shekels into his Swiss bank account, I am firmly convinced that if it suited Saint Tony to have a peaceful Ireland then peaceful it would be. Remember, conflict is big business; we only have to look as far as Basra to see our government is not so saintly it will shirk from using agents provocateurs to keep the fires burning. Ok so that’s Iraq - but don’t think for one moment that the people responsible won’t employ similar tactics elsewhere.

And while I know that it would be wrong to blame Saint Tony for the intransigence of Ian Paisley and others of his ilk, I’m 100% convinced that, if Paisley for instance was seen as one of the major obstacles to the peace process and the government was serious about it, he’d be history. It SUITS the government to have argumentative old dinosaurs digging their heels in over technicalities; it drags the conflict - and the business opportunities - on. Equally with the UVF; I’m sure if the government were serious about the "peace process" the UVF would very quickly be neutralised. Don’t forget, in Ireland we don’t have the intelligence problems we have in the middle east; we know who’s who and where they live. The SAS and MI5 have been working in Ireland for some time now and they’ve gotten to be bloody good at it. And the government has shown in Iraq that, contrary to it’s public persona, it isn’t at all afraid to get it’s hands dirty.

While I know my radical viewpoint is a bit much for some to swallow, all I would say is look at the big picture and don’t let yourself get too bogged down in minutiae. Pretty soon you start to see very simple patterns emerging. For almost any given problem, instead of looking to see who is going to come to the rescue, look instead for who stands to gain financially. In other words, follow the money. And pretty soon all becomes clear!

What frustrates me the most is that Unionism in Ulster seems incapable of coming up with a new vision, new language that fits in with new developments on the ground. This business of waving the jack and chanting "no surrender" is really a neanderthal response that offers no way forward. I know for a fact that the Unionist community in Ulster contains many savvy and intelligent people, many of them top lawyers in the province, so I’m hoping that something will emerge to replace the Paisley mindset that can lead nowhere but down the slippery slope.

Ulster needs Unionist politicians who can broker with entities like Sinn Fein and who view compromise as a way of bettering the prospects for the entire community, rather than as "selling out".

I’m an emigre Ulsterman myself, and I am fortunate enough to live in Canada, where I have witnessed first hand the genius of a national debate (with Quebec) in which jingoism is replaced by cool thinking and considered compromise. Canadians are brilliant at this sort of thing, and it’s interesting that it is a Canadian - de Chastelain - who is presiding over the decommissioning process. I find that very apt.

I think decommissioning has to be seen for what it is. Two clergymen witnessed the process.

Having said that the reservations of Paisley are probably based on inside information, and it wouldn’t at all surprise me if the IRA are holding back weapons. But I do think the bulk of their weaponry has been decommissioned.

Remains to be seen now if the UDA, UVF et all will follow suite - not to mention radical groups in the nationalist movement.