Suspending disbelief in IRA opens vista of hope for Northern Ireland

THERE comes a time in Disney films when you have to suspend disbelief. That moment arrived yesterday for Northern Ireland, and this island as a whole, with the declaration by the IRA that it has ended its armed campaign and all that it implies.

If it's nothing but a scam, then nothing will have changed.

But it is far more worthwhile to suspend disbelief and take the statement on its face value because it opens up a vista of hope for Northern Ireland.