Smoke And Mirrors Who really believes, part from John De Chastelain, Alec Reid and Harold Good, that all of the IRA's weapons have been truly 'put beyond use' ? The security forces and intelligence services in both the UK and Eire came up wit their own estimates of how much of an arsenal the IRA had in their possession. This week, the independent overseers of the decommissioning process declared that the amount of arms 'put beyond use' was an amount very similar to these estimates. How surprising. The overwhelming air of secrecy that the terrorist IRA have managed to impose on the process has left doubts though, not just in the minds of Ian Paisley and the DUP, but in the thoughts of many people, NI residents and mainlanders alike. The problem with trusting the IRA is that it is an organisation made up of real and would be murderers, terrorists, bombers, killers of men, women, soldiers, police and little children. The list doesn't end there, you can add drug dealers, smugglers, extortionists, bank robbers, thugs both petty and serious, people filled with bile and hatred. Clearly, none of these people are going to be towards the top of your 'most trusted' list. Obviously a level of trust is required if the peace process is to move forwards, but surely this trust could have been better achieved if people had been allowed to learn how many weapons there were, how old these weapons were, and exactly how had they been 'put beyond use'. It's a strange day indeed when you find yourself agreeing with anything with Ian Paisley, but for once I find his arguments difficult to dismiss. I myself find it hard to believe that no weapons or explosives remain. Not one armalite to shoot a soldier ? Not one shoebox filled with semtex to blow up a busy parade of shops ? I hope that I'm wrong, I really do. I hope the passage of time proves these fears unfounded and that the province moves into an era of greater peace and prosperity. The IRA though has seldom been a single organisation, throughout it's history it has splintered and factions have sheared away from the main. Did these groups hold substantial stocks of arms ? Have they all been recovered and destroyed. The shroud of secrecy that the government has allowed has left as many questions as it has provided answers. I believe that John De Chastelain, Father Alec Reid and the Rev Harold Good are all intelligent, good and honest men, hard working and diligent and that they have done their jobs to the very best of their abilities. It isn't beyond doubt though that the original estimates of the weapons stockpile were incorrect, that the IRA could be holding more arms than was believed. They kept all their weapons hidden throughout the Troubles, it's entirely possible that some remain hidden still.