Majority of Catholics in Northern Ireland want to remain in the UK

Devolution appears to be most popular option.

Not sure this was really on the table in the 1980's (or 1880's) . We won't ever know what would of happened if there was devolution decades ago,

I guess people are allowed to change their mind. Take out the poison and the peoples of these islands have a lot in common. Was in bandit country in the early 90's and almost without exception the people were courtesy personnified. Even the couple of lads my mate told me were associated with the boys.

There was always devolution in Northern Ireland..... until the troubles brought the parliament down?

Well I am glad to hear it....so hopefully no return of the troubles

In fact if most N.Irish including Catholics want to stay with us....there is no need for devolution

I am not entirely convinced...but treat them as part of the UK...no need for devolution


Devolution harms the UK...I have not forgotten that Scottish fiasco..there was no need for a referendum, the majority to stay

Cameron is not only an evil leader but incompetent as well imo

The opening post is based on a false analysis.

I would safely say a sizeable percentage of catholic would not wish for a referendum on a united Ireland and if one did come I would see no likelihood of the whole people of the north of Ireland voting to leave the union with Britain even if catholics were in a majority and I mean a majority a lot more than just a single vote.

The falsehood of the opening post is that after all the deaths the people on the catholic side were to blame and now they just want to live in peace with equal rights. That's all they ever wanted.

Prior to 1969 when the troubles started there was a small token old IRA who carried on from partition. They had few weapons and formed no great threat to stability or the protestant community.

The thousnands of needless deaths which followed during the troubles from 1969 were due to one reasons and one reason only. The unionist backlash when the catholic people after years of misrule and inequality asked for something as basic as equal rights through the civil rights movement. The response to these marches was that they were literally broken up. Marches were attacked and in many cases by B special policemen whose members did not include a single catholic person. They wore coats over their uniforms in some cases. The other response to this demand for equality was that hundreds of catholics were burned out of their homes in Belfast egged on by Ian Paisley and others. The old ira were actually told to not fire the few weapons they had to kill when catholic areas were attacked by loyalist mobs on the rampage. That's when the members of the old ira broke away and formed the new ira and the adopted new tactics. Instead of waiting to defend their communities they decided to try and bring down the whole corrupt state.

Things were at a stage in 1969 that the British were brought in to protect the catholic people who were getting attacked and burned out of their homes and the Free state irish army were put on standby on the border counties with field hospitals set up and they were on the verge of taking over unionist police stations inside the border counties.

After that things took on a life of their own and once the killings started it was hard to stop.

So you might want to rethink your opening post Fred Rescue.

Some of the "boys" Eternaloptimist must have put out the word you were a good lad because it was not a good idea to to go walking around places like Crosssmaglen or where I lived with a an English accent and drinking in a bar. Someone might have needed to have a wee word with you to check you were not working undercover or worse a dole snooper!

more than half of those Catholics interviewed (57%) would still like to see a united Ireland within their lifetime.

So which is it, OP?

The mistake people make is to often think about future things with todays eyes. When people are relatively happy and treated equally its a difficult challenge to the mind to want to change something they know for something unknown. So if there if ever was to become a united Ireland as voted by a majority of people it would not follow that it would mean then what it means now.
I don't think any referendum on a united Ireland would be a good thing in the foreseeable future unless it was supported by a relatively large majority of all people.

That's a whole different and very interesting story paddle. Needless to say along with the personal kindnesses shown to me there was also a lot of mistrust and things put in place without me being aware at the time to make sure I was safe.

Take some of your point pt, those that have most to answer for are those former IRA members who preached "war" to impressionable types, now sitting in the Northern Ireland parliament taking the Queen's shilling to administer British rule in Northern Ireland.

The times they are a changing

Times change Fred and sometimes people need to change with new times or get left behind in history always looking back. I agree with one of your comments. Saw a recent documentary when this cute little 7 tear old by from Belfast had the letters IRA tattooed on his hand. A child should not should have the free will do such a thing which would inevitably influence his future and it did and he spent most of it in jail. The term queens shillings is a phrase which nowadays only a handful of diehards use. Sinn Fein politicians all receive the same remuneration when they go into Stormont which is set at the average industrial wage of the man or woman in the street. The rest of their wages goes into party funds.
By the way I am not a strong supporter of any political party in  n. irlenad despite the fact I have ever only voted for one party at any elections.

I am glad you had an angel watching out for you during your time where I live EO and your nice comments about normal people in a situation not of their own making is a good one.

How touching  ,angels and all ...... Walofs ...you on the gear ?

I am a bit unsure of where OP is coming from
On his link...it shows a majority of bot Catholics and Protestants want to retain Devolution

The people of N.Ireland are trapped in History
We have two separate sets of people Catholics ad Protestants both claiming N.Ireland as theirs.
Depending on how one looks at it, both sides have a legitimate claim to N.Ireland.
This is a difficult situation to say the least.

To come from the 70'where violence and terrorism were rife to now, I think the British Government have done well.
Terrorism, came mainly from the IRA some from Loyalist groups...'The Shankill Butchers for one

But they are still trapped in History, the bitterness has not gone away, but if people argue with each other
and not kill each other, that is a good result in my opinion

I do not know what the long term future for N.Irekand is, but they doing well to refrain from killing each other at present.

fairly sure britain was a democracy, fairly sure northern ireland was british territory, fairly sure the catholics were subjected to great persecution and injustice, fairly sure the bbc were aware of this, fairly sure the british public still willingly continue to fund and support the bbc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles#Civil_rights_campaign_and_unionist_backlash

ultimately the fault lies with the british public for failing to protect the rights and safety of their fellow citizens, though i have much sympathy for the soldiers sent on their behalf.
i'd also condemn the ira for much, and the unionist terror groups for so much more.

part of the reason for that failure was that the two groups don't feel like fellow citizens, qed they should be separate countries

part of the reason for that failure was that the two groups don't feel like fellow citizens, qed they should be separate countries

Well that was the idea in the first place Brendan, all the Protestants moved to N.Ireland, the Catholics moved to the Irish Republic

The problem Catholics remained in N.Ireland where they suffered discrimination..
They started to protest late 60's led to the modern troubles

I thought we did well to defeat the IRA that was all
As for everybody accepting one another well????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

If you was out there in the early 70's it was easy to see how trapped in history these people were

All over walls was King Billy, Remember the battle of the Boyne 1697 and the apprentice boys holding on in Derry
about the same time

Troops sent out to protect the Catholics faced universal hatred from the Catholics, but the Protestants were friendly enough
If troops went in a Protestant house, there was always a picture of the Queen on the wall, tea, cakes and those soda things
never seen such a set of people loyal to the crown in my life...

The hatred from the Catholics disturbed me, I thought should we really be here??????????

It's 1690, akabula's PIN number.

well I am going senile, I was only a driver out there, I did not break up riots

Deluded

Sadly I am not..this happened

One of the problems was that in order to fight the IRA British troops had to frequently stop and search Catholics

and also enter and search their houses, this caused great resentment from the Catholics.

But in the end the IRA were defeated we made it too hot for them in N.Ireland, and also Thatcher(much as I hated her economic policies)

was able to persuade the Irish Republic to help us on the borders, with information.

The Irish Republic has always regarded the IRA as something of a loose cannon.


The IRA still exist as a political organization but the killing has stopped...hopefully for good.

Devolution is a compromise solution

nobody gets they want...The Catholics do not get a United Ireland The Protestants see it as a weakening of their union with the rest of the UK)

Look at the fuss the Protestants made when it was decided the Union Jack would no longer fly over Stormont

I don't know what the result of that was?

I imagine the tensions are still there but thankfully not the violence