First the good news: our report of the amalgamation of a disparate group of republican dissidents opposed to the peace process is not an indication that it is all about to break down, or even that it is under any serious threat. But there is bad news too. The new grouping's description of a "phoney peace" might not ring true, but despite the much-vaunted handshake between Martin McGuinness and the Queen last month, the process is still in need of nurturing. David Cameron should recognise that recent history is furnished with examples of jobs that, left unfinished, turn bad from neglect.
The new grouping brings together the Real IRA, the Derry terror organisation Republican Action Against Drugs and other, smaller, groups. It is thought to include the men whose bombs killed the Catholic PSNI officer Ronan Kerr and seriously wounded another. It has the know-how to inflict damage. It also has an immediate political objective, to strengthen the opposition to the peace process through consolidation of its opponents. Although there is no evidence of anything other than steady support for the power-sharing government of Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, it would be a mistake to assume the process is unassailable. Recession and spending cuts create an alienated and dispossessed youth which, in cities such as Derry, where youth unemployment runs at 40%, could too easily become a recruiting ground for terror. The generation who forged peace are ageing just as the reality of the Troubles is fading from memory.
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