Word: macstiofã
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Terror, even when cloaked in idealism, is an ugly form of politics?the strategy of determined, desperate men. The I.R.A. is determined to survive and to win. Says Sean MacStiof??in, chief of staff of the army's militant Provisional wing: "This is not just another glorious phase in Irish history. We must win. We can't afford to lose. We will keep the campaign going regardless of the cost to ourselves, regardless of the cost to anyone else...
...army, led by Chief of Staff Cathal Goulding, argued that gunplay without political activism would lead to further defeats. This line led to increasing cooperation with Ireland's minuscule Communist Party and an eventual decision to form a "national liberation front." The so-called Provisionals of Sean MacStiof??in insisted on military means first. Although most of the I.R.A. units opted for the Provos, the division between the rival groups was and is bitter. For a time, army units in Belfast spent as much time fighting each other as they did the British. A tenuous truce was worked out last...
Stake in the Future. Fear of a Westminster "sellout" now dominates the Protestant community, despite assurances by Faulkner and Heath. MacStiof??in contends that these fears are unjustified: "We have no interest in treating the Protestants harshly. We don't want them to leave the North. We want them to accept that they are Irish, that they have a stake in the future of this country...