MICK FINNEGAN,
Madam, - Frank Miller's 1,300-word account of prospects for the peace process (The Irish Times, February 12th) left out one significant element. While an IRA "threat" was explored, the actuality of unionist violence was ignored.
If unionists fear the "threat" of a resurgence of activity by the IRA, nationalists have to endure an ongoing and sustained campaign of sectarian violence from unionist paramilitaries.
It would be a grave error to suggest that the erosion of the power base of one UDA faction (surrounding "the two Johnnnys", Adair and White) eliminates this threat. In fact it reinforces it, since the victorious elements are free to concentrate on what they do best, targeting nationalist homes, areas and lives.
This was borne out in the latest round of sectarian pipe-bomb attacks that concluded the routing of the White/Adair faction. The newly consolidated UDA leadership carried out these attacks.
The media concentration on the obvious "gangster" elements in unionist paramilitarism tends to ignore the sectarian basis of the various organisations' existence, their heavy infiltration by the security apparatus of the state and their availability to be directed by that apparatus.
Removing an obviously "out of control" element has advantages from the securocrat perspective in that it provides good surface optics and facilitates "intelligent" control. - Yours, etc.,
MICK FINNEGAN, Bannow Road, Cabra, Dublin 7.