Should Ireland be united?

[glauistean]

Having been to Ireland (Rep) many times, both in the 80's,90's and this new century I am struck at how much has changed.
It is an extremely modern country and the people are very worldly. They can speak of any situation going on in the world and do so with great knowledge.

The sad part is that the Northern part of the country is still stuck in a time warp. The sectarianism still exists and is vitriolic. Now, Northern Ireland is different than when the "troubles" began. The British soldiers are gone off the streets. The old RUC is now the PSNI(Police Service of Northern Ireland).

The reason this change in the policing was due to the fact that at one time the police force comprised 98% protestant of all denominations. The Nationalists were treated badly and proportionately worse than their counterparts. Then Margaret Thatcher came up with her idiotic " Interment without Trial". She may as well have lit a fuse because as a result there was absolute chaos. Bloody Sunday (second one), hunger strikers dying and martyrs made of them. The agony was now going on for nearly thirty years.


It had to change and thanks to Bill Clinton and Senator Mitchell it all changed and a total restructuring of the police force and the departure of the British army and a new multi-cultural government installed. The PIRA left down their arms and vowed not to return to the violence of years past.

Unfortunately, the UDA, UFF, UDR, Red Hand of Ulster and others did not get the message. They had some infighting and thus tried to get the nationalists involved. It has not worked. YET!

What do you guys and gals think. Sould Ireland be one? Or should Britain remain as it is?

[donKey jote]

they´re all from the land of the bogs and the little people, whatever flag they fly

[Bob Riebe]

A view of the current status from Ireland:
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/union/Le...39s.6604451.jp

And a view from an American
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/id...gregated_peace

[Easy Drifter]

Maybe, just maybe, the Irish should decide themselves.

[driveace]

NO it wont happen!
Eire ,the south is bankcrupt,just drawn all my cash out of Allied Irish bank,as they are in the sh*t
ANd the majority in the north want to be British!!!

[Captain VXR]

Eventually, yes
Now, no simply because the UVF etc would explode and become far, far worse than RIRA

[Sonic]

Can. Worms.

S'all I'm saying

[Rollo]

If I was Grand Poobah and Lord High Everything Else then Ireland would be one country; I don't really care whether it's under the control of the UK or the Republic either.

Personally I blame that prize fop James VII who landed in Ireland for no good reason at all. He earned his name "Séamus an Chaca" or "James the ****"

[Andrewmcm]

That Boston Globe article is surprisingly accurate and a good take on the situation there.

[glauistean]

That Boston Globe article is surprisingly accurate and a good take on the situation there.

It is preferable to the one from the BBC.

One thing that I find disturbing from most articles or reports that I read is that most people will identify the culprits in the North of Ireland as the PIRA.
They seem to forget the loyalist organizations.
One horrendous saga or serial killing was conducted by the Shankhill Butcher.

That Paisley was even given a hand to his seat , retiring or not makes the hair on my neck stand up.

I remember one summer vacation when it was time to return to school (Northern Ireland) and the parents from a Catholic neighborhood were bringing their kids to a school that was in a Protestant area.

It was sickening to see these kids as they cried and asked to be brought home. Five year olds and six year olds being told their mothers were wh**** and some far worse. There was no condemnation from Paisley. For a few days the parents tried to continue but had to relent as the crowds of hecklers of 5 and 6 year olds grew and the parents of these children felt it was causing more harm to the children that they stopped going.