"N. Ireland efforts for youths strained; Britain funding cuts also squeeze social programs" by Danica Kirka, Associated Press | September 5, 2010
LURGAN, Northern Ireland — Bursts of laughter. Young men playing ping-pong. Battles of the bands.
Related: Catholic Courtship in Ireland
In a Northern Ireland determined to put conflict behind it, the Links teen center bridges the divide between Catholic and Protestant teens in this struggling town, giving them something to do, an alternative to streets that offer drugs and violence. It’s working, but like the peace process itself, it is under strain amid looming budget cuts....
Tough times are hitting promising initiatives like Links — and causing unease about the very fate of Northern Ireland’s peace deal.
Really?
See: British and Irish Talk Behind Terrorists' Back
What am I supposed to make of my paper, readers?
As the troubled territory slogs through the worst economic downturn in decades, dissident Irish nationalist militias are getting increasingly restless — carrying out a string of violent acts including a recent bombing that injured three children.
Related:
Who are the "terrorists" again?
Deep-rooted poverty and continued religious segregation of Irish nationalists and British loyalists are combining with steep budget cuts in London that lead many to fear that the hard work building bridges between Catholics and Protestants could suffer.
Though their numbers are small, the ability of the dissidents to cause problems has been increasing, officials say....
Don't you mean terrorists?
Oh, right, not Muslim.
Paul Bew, Queen’s University political science professor, of those launching attacks: “There could be bad events just around the corner.’’
Protestants and Catholics agreed to a power sharing government a dozen years ago, when the major Catholic and Protestant parties forged an unlikely coalition to end violence that claimed 3,600 lives over three decades.
But those opposed to the deal have increased operations since 2007. In March 2009, Irish Republican Army dissidents shot to death two off-duty British soldiers collecting pizzas and a policeman sitting in his car.
Also see: Sickening Sunday: Worth the Wait
Poverty, unemployment, and continued religious segregation are fueling a recruiting drive by groups clinging to the dream of getting the British out of Northern Ireland.
The dissidents are recruiting, openly, it is said, among poor youths who feel the Irish Republican Army sold out for a chance in power.
Even as the violence has increased, the financial support for the peace accord is being threatened by Britain’s economic squeeze....
Which would take attention away from the economy, cui bono?
Though authorities are reluctant to discuss the threat of increased attacks, funds earmarked to fight Al Qaeda terror plots are being diverted to operations meant to quash attacks by dissidents.
Oh, so then the NEXT FALSE FLAG ATTACK to hit Britain is DUE SOON!!!!
During the summer, always a time of unease because marches by Protestant societies celebrating old battles stir up sectarian passions, tensions grew in places like Lurgan, in an area once known as the “Murder Triangle’’ because of the violence that marked the region.
Yeah, they feel the need to provoke people, but that's the Protestants for you.
In the town southwest of Belfast Castle Lane is the dividing line: Roman Catholics to one side, Protestants to the other.
Community workers intentionally placed a youth center right on the line, a spot acceptable to both camps. The center offers an oasis from the drugs, alcohol, and boredom that lure young people into trouble.
Then every kid is a potential terrorist, huh?
Though Links has not been warned of any specific funding cuts, the workers worry that looming pressure on the local government, the community, and individual donors will hurt their ability to provide services to the community’s young people....
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