To Hume, the hypocrisy of the republican movement – the cynical shell game of the ballot and the bullet – seemed all too calculated. ‘The real strategy and objectives are clear,’ he said. ‘Have the military wing create as much discontent and deprivation as possible, the more unemployment the better. Then have your political wing feed off the people’s discontent. One of these days, Sinn Féin will disappear up their own contradiction.’
