Posted by Mike on May 05, 2001 at 21:53:43:
In Reply to: 20 years posted by baloo on May 05, 2001 at 15:32:24:
20 years since Bobby Sands died.......anyone remember all that?
Id imagine most people either werent born at the time or were too young to understand what it was all about.
"And does anyone think we're really any closer to peace?" Well while we have a long way to go the situation here is obviously much better than in 1981.
Did the hunger strikes have a good, bad or indifferent effect on the development of the situation in the North. Obviously depends on where you are coming from. To some Bobby Sands was a hero who was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for what he believed in, to others he was part of a murderous criminal gang who should have been executed in the first place. most people would probably fall somewhere between these two points of view (assuming theyre interested either way). In the immediate aftermath the Hunger strikes raised tensions within NI but in the long term did they make any difference ? Who knows.