Back to The Troubles?

Saying one thing and then doing another - as well lying and gaslighting - is SOP for Johnson.

At least Trump bothers to come up with really outrageous lies.

 

PCLL’s post is bang on.

My dad grew up in Belfast and came over in the ‘60s — as a lot of people did, including his two sisters and a brother. If you were Catholic, good luck getting a stable job at the shipyards or the docks or anywhere.

I’ve been over a few times and it amazes me how segregated the communities remain. There are your Prod bars and your Cafflick bars, and you better not inadvertently end up in the wrong one. You can have a Catholic estate on one side of the road and a Protestant estate on the other. The shopping center is about the only place people mix.

I’d say the main problem in the near term is some of the paramilitary types on both sides sunk their teeth into the drug trade and other rackets. These guys still hold the power. Imagine if guys like Whitey Bulger (IRA backer FWIW) and Gotti had a sizable force on their side. The police won’t take them on because they know the powder keg explodes the moment that happens.

 

I've wondered if these recent skirmishes are a combination of that and a release of boredom caused by quarantine.