More Irish Matters

I will not pretend to be unbiased on this issue, but it seems that the pro-British Unionist parties in Northern Ireland will not be happy until the letters 'I,' 'R,' and 'A' are permanently scratched from the alphabet. This shit kind of makes my blood boil.

If we put aside the Ulster Plantation in the 17th Century (the Brits colonising Northern Ireland with rich Protestants, mostly from Scotland), and focus strictly on the last 100 odd years of turmoil, here are some facts we can consider:

The Provisional IRA sprang up strictly as a result of the demand of the Catholic population in Belfast to have someone protect them from the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary). The civil rights movement was in full swing in the sixties and the Catholic minority were frequently attacked when they organised peaceful marches.

Sinn Fein have consistently shown themselves to be more willing to communicate with a view to ending the conflict than have their Unionist counterparts. It's always Gerry Adams and Co. coming to the table willingly and Ian Paisley and Co. being dragged kicking and screaming, and only wanting to talk once they have gained some small piece of psychological advantage over the Nationalists ("We'll only talk when the IRA decommission and dump their arms, but the Loyalist paramilitaries can be left alone.")

And finally, all you have to do is look at the Republic of Ireland national flag. It was purposely designed to include the Green (Catholic Republican) and the Orange (Protestant Unionist) traditions, with a White strip (for peace) in the middle. The fact that this flag so incenses the Unionists, when they have never made any attempt to incorporate the Green in their plans, speaks volumes.

Ireland will be united one day, it's inevitable. 26 + 6 = One.

I'm off my soapbox now.