JIM Gibney (July 18) painted a few self-serving pictures.
"But the big difference in Ardoyne, as in the Short Strand, was that republicans, under the effective and brave leadership of Gerry Kelly, MLA, were working closely with the police". Prior to that Jim had stated: "There were other notable differences. The people of the area (the Short Strand) were being protected by the police with the help of local republicans and an excellent job was done by all involved. The police were made up of northern locals and those from England. I spoke to an English police officer and offered him ideas about the deployment of his police and jeeps. He readily accepted them and acted accordingly." This is the vital part: "The conversation reminded me of August 1969 when, in Bryson Street, I spoke to a young British soldier with a similar accent. The difference was his gun and those of his mates were pointed at me and my mates who were protecting our family homes." That last bit reminded me of the message on a King Billy mural in Sailortown: 'Their only crime was loyalty'. For Jim and his mates their only crime was protecting their family homes. So who plotted and planned and deliberately started the armed struggle? Tell that story Jim.
M SCOTT
Belfast BT15
