The thing about Nelson Mandela is that, as is obvious to anyone who thinks at all critically about history and politics, there are elements of his life that are less than salubrious. This is virtually inevitable when you’re part of an oppressed minority. It’s the same (to varying degrees) with the people who led the peace process on the Republican* side during the Northern Ireland Peace Process.

* Irish republicans

It’s not a “bad thing” to point that out. It’s just a shame that for some people, commitment to the great cause of Mining Raw Materials And Keeping All The Money turns Mandela into nothing more than a bomb-throwing commie.