Quote:
Originally Posted by grants70
I read some on that, but it was hard to understand from an American's perspective. My impression is that the whole island of Ireland belongs to the Irish and that Ulster is still under occupation by a foreign power which has no righth to be there.
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I don't disagree Grants, but its a bit more complicated than that. Actually way more complicated. The problem is the ulster Unionists. Since the partition of 1921 the unionists and successive British governments have piously proclaimed that Northern Ireland is a victory for democracy, it's still part of the UK based solely on the cherished principle of majority rule. And while, strictly speaking, that's true, in the artificially created entity known as Northern Ireland.
What I pointed out in my earlier post was that this majority was achieved with smoke and mirrors, it was a basically a land grab designed to secure as much Irish territory as they could and still have a unionist numerical superiority.
The fledging Irish government at the time was bitterly divided over partition,both Sinn Fein and the IRA, which had become the national army of Ireland. The IRA had fought a highly successful guerilla war, but they were stretched very thin, low on arms and equipment. In the end partition was accepted, with the hope that it was one step on the road to a 32 county republic.
The decision split Sinn Fein and the IRA down the middle and lead directly to the Irish Civil War.
The origins of the Ulster unionist, or Orange men, lay in the early 17th century. Ireland had been in a more or less constant state of rebellion since the first English invasions. In an effort to stabilize the area the crown began importing primarily Scottish and some English loyalists and rewarding them with land taken from native Irish nobility. It came to be known as the "Ulster Plantation"
This process continued thru the 17th century with the north east of the island becoming more and more dominated by the newcomers.
Over the years the Orangeman has developed a fanatical, almost canine loyalty and devotion to the British crown. They demonstrate their loyalty out of fear that some day their masters in London may tire of them and leave them to the tender mercies of the Taigs(derogatory term for an Irish Catholic, similar to the N word for an African American)
One of their more curious annual rituals is the celebration of the victory of a Dutch prince over a duly consecrated English king.
But, at any rate, the unionist are still there, and at least temporally, still in the majority, dubiously achieved that it was. So, given that they have lived in Ireland for over 300 years, what to do with them? Since the end of the troubles, some progress has been
made. Even Sinn Fein privately recognizes that reunification is not going to happen any time soon. that's why their push for Irish language rights is a major issue right now, preservation of a language is the key to survival of a culture, and by fostering this keeps the hope alive for a 32 county republic in the future. The Irish have been trying to regain their independence for 800 years, a few more decades is no big deal.