Bomb attack on PSNI officers: Don’t take bait

It is not too hard to imagine that a certain kind of Irish person might squirm or, in extremis, shout at the TV when one of the Edwardians driving Brexit makes yet another statement that underlines their willful ignorance of our shared history.

Equally, it is not hard to imagine that some of those living in Northen Ireland might respond with similar frustration, when one of the events in the litany of physical-force republicanism is commemorated south of the border.

Both are, depending on your position, provocations.

One of the few things that can be said about Brexit, as the do-or-die deadline looms, is that one side will provoke the other, sometimes in dreadful ways.

The suspected dissident bomb attack in Co Fermanagh yesterday falls into that category.

The anti-democratic attack was intended to kill PSNI officers and renew toxic tribalism.

The only wise response is to ensure that the terrorists feel the full weight of the justice system.

Do not take the bait, do not react in a way that will, just as happened 50 years ago, threaten the peace this island has enjoyed for 25 years.