IRA stands down - Democracy way of true republicans

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern explained yesterday that the Government made it clear to the Sinn Féin leadership that there had to be clarity in further discussions on such matters as decommissioning, paramilitarism, and criminality.

There was no longer any room for ambiguity on the part of Sinn Féin and the IRA. There had been too much prevarication and not enough plain talking.

The Taoiseach and his colleagues deserve credit for biting the figurative bullet by making Sinn Féin and the IRA face reality.