| One in seven Northern Ireland nationalists sympathise with dissident terrorists Survey shows some support for Real IRA and Continuity IRA campaigns, particularly among young working-class menOne in seven nationalists in Northern Ireland now sympathise with dissident republican terrorists.A survey by the University of Liverpool shows that 14% of the nationalist community have some "sympathy for the reasons" why groups like the Real IRA and Continuity IRA continue to engage in violence.The opinion poll, which will be published in full at a conference at Queen's University Belfast tomorrow, also found that support for three dissident terror groups is strong among young nationalist working-class males.The data has been released 24 hours after a Real IRA bomb attack caused extensive damage to a bank in Derry around midnight on Monday.Chief Supt Stephen Martin – the most senior police commander in Derry – claimed yesterday that the dissidents had no support or legitimacy in the city.But Professor Jon Tonge of Liverpool University, in the Ulster Newsletter today, said: "One of the mantras of the peace process is that 'dissident' republicans have no support … yet the assumption that dissidents have no support has been precisely that – an assumption, untroubled by actual evidence either way."Tonge said the survey will show that young men in nationalist and republican areas were the strongest supporters of the dissidents even though a majority did not live through the darkest days of the Troubles.Forensic officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland are continuing detailed searches of the area around the Ulster Bank on Derry's Culmore Road today following the bomb blast late on Monday. A number of residents remain out of their homes and traffic in that part of the city is still disrupted.Among the dissident groups the Real IRA has claimed it has growing support particularly among working-class republican youths. In an interview with the Guardian last month the terror group claimed that it "did not have the capacity yet" to absorb the many recruits it alleges are coming forward to join in places like Derry and other nationalist parts of Northern Ireland.The latest bomb in Derry is understood to have been larger than the device that caused extensive damage to Strand Road in a car bomb attack against the city's main police station in August. That device contained around 200lbs of explosives.Later today it is expected that David Cameron will issue a blistering attack on the dissidents, warning them they will not destabilise the political power-sharing arrangement in the province.Real IRANorthern IrelandContinuity IRAUK security and terrorismHenry McDonaldguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Saville 'no regrets' over inquiry The man who led the Bloody Sunday Inquiry has defended the length of time it took and the cost to the taxpayer. bbc.co.uk |
July 7 victims: 'We owe lives to off-duty woman police officer' Two victims of the July 7 bombings - who both lost their legs in the blast - tell inquest how they their lives were saved. telegraph.co.uk |
David Cameron's growth plan lacks punch | Tim Page Cameron's speech to the CBI suggests the coalition's plans to promote economic growth lack meaningful investmentAfter the bleakness of last week's comprehensive spending review, this morning we were supposed to be able to talk excitedly about the government's strategy to promote economic growth. But the day got off to a bad start when we read in the Financial Times of rumours that the long-awaited growth white paper, expected shortly after the CSR, may now be postponed until the new year. This has led some to believe, according to the FT, that "the government is struggling to develop a strategy". And having read first David Cameron's and then Vince Cable's speeches to the CBI conference, those are genuine fears.There is little wrong with what either of them has said. More money for infrastructure. Technology innovation centres. A green investment bank. A carbon capture and storage demonstration plant. A focus on "export-led growth".The trouble is, so little is to be invested in these worthwhile initiatives that it is difficult to imagine them gaining traction. £200m, over four years, for a network of technology innovation centres is a trifling sum. Germany's Fraunhofer institutes, on which this plan is loosely based, receives €370m a year from federal and regional (Lander) governments to support their work. The British government has previously said that the UK needs at least £200bn to be invested in infrastructure, over the lifetime of this parliament, so the £8.6bn over four years of capital spending announced in the CSR and the £30bn over four years for transport spending announced today are very welcome, but clearly fall far short of the challenge.If the government succeeds in its stated task of unlocking £200bn worth of public and private sector investment to support infrastructure – and we all hope it does succeed – that's problem solved, but saying this can be done and actually doing it are two different things. And if some of that £200bn is redirected public sector money, another important question is: redirected from where?The government will say it cannot invest any more because the money isn't there. But that is only true if you believe repaying the deficit over the lifetime of a parliament is the correct course of action. If you believe investing in growth promotes a healthy economy that helps deficit reduction, then the coalition has clearly got its priorities the wrong way around.In last week's CSR, the government accepted that it has no plan B. It noted that 490,000 public sector jobs will be lost over the next four years, and the government is hoping and praying that the private sector will pick up the slack.But PricewaterhouseCoopers tell us that another 500,000 jobs will go from private sector firms. In other words, almost one million new private sector jobs will need to be found. It is the creation of those 1m jobs today's announcements sought to encourage. But the challenges before us are huge. We need a proper growth plan. We are still waiting.David CameronEconomic policySpending review 2010Confederation of British Industry (CBI)Economic growth (GDP)EconomicsTim Pageguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Airport security change signalled Transport Secretary Philip Hammond signals his willingness to change the regulations on security checks at UK airports. bbc.co.uk |