Well, I think the last mile is to presupose bad intentions on the part of Irish Republicans. Fact is I have know them well and many of them, and can't say I mistrust their intentions, rather, like Wolfgang I think many of the choices that were made, in hindsight are not well chosen, I agree with your above comment, that knowing folks who were in the camps one understands the anger that led to a Jewish underground choosing to murder inocents, but the murder of inocents is still murder. War, though, I always stand aside from, however, the Irish Republican Army was no more guilty of committing to war than Britan, just their intentions where better than Whitehall streets,I have found, in general Irish Republicans to be more truthful about their reasons to fight than the British government. But that is the case throughout. There was no ambiguity to the Veit Cong reason for fighting. This is also where I depart from Wolfgang.
Cheers
Larry
Oh Big Tim... as to majorities, most of the time, the northern majority was only maintained by forcing the majority of nationalists out of the north through state terrorism and inforced poverty, so one cant say 1969 is really the time when there is a majority in favor of a partitioned Ireland.