Lots to pack in there.
Sunningdale
"Sunningdale for slow learners", yes, to a large extent. Ironically, Seamus Mallon, who is attributed with this quip was also one of the slow learners. As
@Duke of Marmalade testifies in his comment there were to be no prisoner releases, and internment without trial was still in place. There was no SF or IRA party to the agreement so the political parties may as well have been playing Scrabble for all the IRA cared. Without any representation, without any prisoner releases and without an end to internment of (mostly) Catholics without trial, why on earth would the IRA even be interested in Sunningdale? So that their prisoners could continue to rot in jail for a long time? This is just naivety.
As it happens, it was Loyalists that crashed the agreement. Not that they had representation either, but the concept of a Council of Ireland with Southern Ireland was a bridge to far (slow learners).
It would take, some 23yrs later, a woman NI secretary to cut through the indignation of the "
we will never talk to terrorists" brigade (more slow learners) and provide an impetus in directing the political framework on a path that had real hope of sustaining.
Mo Mowlam did more in two years as NI Sec to bring about an end to the conflict than all others before put together. British and Irish governments have always known the dynamic of the prisoner issue, but were impotent in managing it politically. She taught everyone a lesson, one that was regrettably absent at Sunningdale.
Decommissioning
There is no doubt SF sought to squeeze as much as possible, but that is the nature of politics. But not without good reason. This is where the leadership and strategic prowess of Adams and McGuinness deserves its recognition. As far back as
1996, Mitchel McLaughlin then chairperson of SF recorded in an interview that the aim of SF was to get rid of the IRA. (
Source: Peter Taylor 'Provos: SF and the IRA') . In order to do this, Adams/McGuinness had to make progress on the political front. That they did, prisoner release, political negotiation, RUC disbanding etc and they brought the republican community along with them, in ever increasing numbers
But the greatest strategic triumph of all was getting into government with UUP without arms decommissioning. Some may opine that Trimble and UUP were suckered and duped by SF, perhaps so. But the critical element is that while Trimble may have crossed the rubicon and gone into government, outside Paisley beat the drum of traitor, and it is resonated louder and louder within Unionism.
Even if the IRA had decommissioned, the risk of Paisley rising to the ascendancy of political unionism outside the political structures remained. Not having signed up to GFA, he could have refused power-sharing with SF and crashed the GFA , just like Sunningdale before. Adams/McGuinness would have been humiliated and republicanism in turmoil.
Instead, as Adams wrote explicitly at the time of first Stormont suspension, "
the Paisley deal is the only deal". With Paisley signed up to a power-sharing arrangement, in return for decommissioning, there was no political unionist block left that was strong enough to crash GFA the way Sunningdale was crashed (slow learners anyone?)
when the RA stopped it all stopped
It is the nature of a ceasefire, yes. The political impetus being driven by Bill Clinton, Hume, Reynolds.
Adams, McGuinness, Kelly, Slab Murphy, Martin Ferris now outflanked the militant McKevitt on the IRA AC and the political wing of SF/IRA had the ascendency over the militant wing.
I want the past left in the past so I've zero interest in lauding former gunmen and bombers
Nobody is asking you to laud over former gunmen and bombers. Although it would have been hard to avoid with the state commemorations of 1916 a few years back. I think Thomas Clarke, an indiscriminate bomber of bridges and train stations, was afforded another bridge to be named after him by President D Higgins.
The gaslighting is by the media. The Seamus McElwaine memorial occurs every year, attended by SF representatives of one sort or another. The media pay little attention, if at all. The only reason this memorial got traction is because it was a high profile rep like Matt Carty.
Carty, probably sensing an election in the not too distant future, was playing to his base support in the region.
How are we going to move on if SF want to keep glorifying and trying to justify the dark deeds of yore
And yet we continue to glorify the past dark deeds of 1916-1921
Garret (and frightened thinking people) be afraid of a British withdrawal
Garret being frightened, does not make Garret correct. The same "
now is not the time" brigade are still holding that line.
Given the atrocious behaviour of the British Army, as documented by yourself, was Garret Fitzgerald wrong and, with the benefit of hindsight of course, would we have been much better off if Harold Wilson had packed his bags in 1974?
We don't have the benefit of hindsight because Harold Wilson did not pack his bags.
But to indulge the hypothetical scenario, ideally, the Irish Army should have moved into the Nationalist area's. Failing that UN Peace-keepers.
While the BA did halt the pogroms against Catholics, it was a temporary reprieve as we know how they would choose to gun-down the innocents in due course.
In fact, in your opinion and again with the benefit of hindsight would it have been better if the BA had not intervened in the first place in 1969?
Absolutely. The Irish Army in Nationalist areas would have been better. Or UN peace-keepers.