Northern Ireland's Lost Opportunity: The Frustrated Promise of Political Loyalism

摘要

In this book, Tony Novosel sets out to establish the argument that there was a clear opportunity coming from Loyalist Paramilitaries, Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commandoes, to engage in peace dialogue as early as 1972 despite the horrific violence. He rightly takes umbrage with the stereotyping of Loyalism, which he refers to on p. 8, seeing this as a significant aspect of the whole debate around Loyalism. Novosel is correct to raise this because it suited the cultish ideology of many on the left, who looked at the troubles in Northern Ireland as just another plank in their 'anti-imperialist struggle'. I might differ from Novosel regarding his comment on p. 40 that the strength of the security forces in the new Northern Ireland state was 'one policeman for every two Catholic families'. In my opinion, this is unfair because there were many Catholics within the police, and it is not really correct to assume that all Catholics were hostile to the new Northern Ireland state.