▁Catholic ▁Church , ▁and ▁even ▁among ▁some ▁I RA ▁supp or ters , ▁eventually ▁forcing ▁the ▁I RA ▁to ▁drop ▁the ▁t actic . ▁According ▁to ▁journalist ▁and ▁author ▁Ed ▁Mol oney , ▁" as ▁an ▁operation ▁calculated ▁to ▁und erm ine ▁the ▁I RA ' s ▁armed ▁struggle , ▁al ien ate ▁even ▁its ▁most ▁loyal ▁supp or ters ▁and ▁damage ▁S inn ▁F é in ▁polit ically , ▁it ▁had ▁no ▁equal ". ▁ ▁Mol oney ▁has ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁t actic ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁calculated ▁to ▁weak en ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁alleg ed ▁" h aw ks " ▁in ▁republic an ism , ▁those ▁who ▁fav oured ▁armed ▁action ▁over ▁elect oral ▁politics . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁Mol oney ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁w ides p read ▁public ▁rev ulsion ▁would ▁have ▁strength ened ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁those ▁in ▁the ▁I RA ▁such ▁as ▁Ger ry ▁Adams ▁who ▁were ▁considering ▁how ▁republic an ism ▁could ▁abandon ▁violence ▁and ▁focus ▁on ▁elect oral ▁politics . ▁Peter ▁Taylor ▁wrote ▁of ▁the ▁proxy ▁bomb s ▁that ▁by ▁such ▁actions ▁and ▁the ▁rev ulsion ▁they ▁caused ▁in ▁the ▁community , ▁I RA ▁hard lin ers ▁in ad vert ently ▁strength ened ▁the ▁hand ▁of ▁those ▁within ▁the ▁republic an ▁movement ▁who ▁argued ▁that ▁an ▁alternative ▁to ▁armed ▁struggle ▁had ▁to ▁be ▁found . ▁ ▁Later ▁proxy ▁bomb s ▁ ▁The ▁Tr ou bles ▁ ▁Several ▁more ▁' human ▁proxy ▁bomb ings ' ▁were ▁planned , ▁but ▁the ▁operations ▁were ▁called ▁off ,