桑兹先生是一个被定罪的罪犯。 他选择了自己的生命。

 

对爱尔兰共和军来说，一个非同寻常的运气，在北爱尔兰的一个民族主义色彩浓厚的选区出现了一个议会席位。

桑兹宣布参加竞选，并从他的牢房里成为自1955年以来第一位隶属于民族主义政党新芬党的候选人，赢得了英国议会的一个席位。

当第二次绝食在5月5日以他的死亡而达到高潮时，整个北爱尔兰爆发了暴乱，对撒切尔政府的压力也随之增加。

数以万计的人参加了桑兹在贝尔法斯特的葬礼。

 

Then, in a stroke of extraordinary luck for the IRA, a parliamentary seat opened up in a heavily Nationalist constituency in Northern Ireland. Sands declared his candidacy and, from his prison cell, became the first candidate affiliated with the Nationalist party Sinn Féin to win a seat in the UK Parliament since 1955. When the second hunger strike culminated in his death on May 5, riots broke out across Northern Ireland, and pressure mounted on Thatcher’s government. Tens of thousands attended Sands’ funeral in Belfast.

 

其他囚犯的绝食斗争持续了整个夏天。

尽管有来自天主教会和美国众议院议长蒂普-奥尼尔（Tip O'Neill）的额外压力，撒切尔仍坚持她的立场，这得到了英国公众的广泛支持。

在下议院的提问时间，当被问及桑兹的命运时，她酸溜溜地回答：

”桑兹先生是一个被定罪的罪犯。

他选择了自己的生命。

这是他的组织不允许许多受害者作出的选择。”[65]

在10月3日剩下的人放弃之前，总共有10名囚犯死亡。

撒切尔以巨大的钢铁般的意志，牺牲了同情心来履行职责。

 

The hunger strike by other prisoners continued throughout the summer. Despite additional pressure from the Catholic Church and US House Speaker Tip O’Neill, Thatcher maintained her position, which enjoyed broad support from the British public. Pressed about Sands’ fate during question time in the House of Commons, she replied, acidly: ‘Mr Sands was a convicted criminal. He chose to take his own life. It was a choice that his organization did not allow to many of its victims.’[65]

In total, ten prisoners died before those remaining gave up on October 3. With great steeliness, Thatcher had sacrificed compassion to duty.