It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Unionist political leadership is demanding the surrender of IRA weapons before political progress is made. They have never seen the peace process as being about the removal of the causes of conflict. Not for them an acknowledgement of inequality or that nationalist rights have been denied. Nor the slightest acceptance that Unionism, backed by the force of arms through the RUC, UDR/RIR and the British Army had any active role in bringing about and sustaining the conflict. Nor indeed that Unionism and their state forces engaged in sectarian slaughter in order to sustain their rotten regime. Free article