Irish support for IRA

[aktarian]

Would it be possible to have Irish gov't give bigger support for IRA? Sort of like Libya to various groups? Training camps, funds and arms?

Brits are not going to be pleased but I doubt they'd opt for full scale war. Limited strikes and SF raids are possible though. And Ireland wouldn't get into EC in 1973.

[Starviking]

Originally Posted by aktarian

Would it be possible to have Irish gov't give bigger support for IRA? Sort of like Libya to various groups? Training camps, funds and arms?

Doubtful. The IRA considered themselves to be the legitimate government of Ireland, based on their interpretation of the 1918 Westminster Elections. The Irish gov't would be funding their enemies.

Now, if the Irish gov't was a Sinn Fein gov't that could throw things - the problem is that in OTL Sinn Fein was abstentionist until the late 90's (IIRC).

Originally Posted by aktarian

Brits are not going to be pleased but I doubt they'd opt for full scale war. Limited strikes and SF raids are possible though. And Ireland wouldn't get into EC in 1973.

The Republic's economy is tied to the UK's. HMG can just impose sanctions.

Starviking

[67th Tigers]

Remember the three stage plan?

1. Brits out
2. War against the "Free State"
3. Establishment of a 32 county Communist state

The Republic had more to lose than Britain.

[Fellatio Nelson]

Originally Posted by aktarian

Brits are not going to be pleased but I doubt they'd opt for full scale war. Limited strikes and SF raids are possible though.

Doubt it: easier et an unpopular pro-terrorist regime hang itself, then get voted out of office by its own people.

Bigger Army presence in NI in case the Irish forces made some symbolic invasion (which could cause mass bloodshed to their ranks and the civil populace), but militarily much as before.

The global diplomatic and economic sanctions would be immense.

[Andrew Hudson]

There are arguments that it happened anyway but if it did it was on a small scale i.e the alleged gun running by Charlie Haughey. In practice there were tensions between the IRA and Irish Governments. There was a civil war following independence with the IRA trying to overthrow the first government. When De Valera came to power supported in the ballot box he quickly locked up the IRA partially because they were a threat and mainly because the Garda and Army made it it clear that it was the price of remaining in office. The IRA were periodically locked up including during the Second World War and in the 50's when Haughey was justice minister. I am not sure the provisionals wanted a socialist state, it was the officials who did and the provisionals broke away from them. The officials declared a ceasfire in 1972.

Popular support? A handful of people from the IRA fought in the International Brigade a larger number joined Duffy's blue shirts and fought for the fascists. In world war 2 Eire was neutral yet more people from Southern than Northern Ireland enlisted in His Majesties Armed forces. It is concievable that had the IRA ceased fire in the mid 70's that Willy Whitelaws diplomacy could have produced a settlement not a lot different than the current one.

No British government would have tolerated overt support for the IRA although for some time the UK has been seeking to get rid the problem