No, Tiocfaidh, but for you I'm beginning to suspect I might make an exception!

For the record, I am a Yorkshireman with Scottish, French Jewish and Irish ancestors (my paternal Grandmother was a Herley). I am English because Yorkshire is in England, British because that's what it says on my passport, European because I believe that it is high time that nationalism was laid to rest along with tribalism (and, I could add, atheist because the same can be said of religion).

I have no sympathy with the likes of Paisley. I believe that the partition of Ireland is yet another example of post-imperial residual cockups (cf Iraq, Palestine, Cyprus, Punjab, Chechnya, Yugoslavia, Kryzgistan etc) which are not unique to the British Empire.

However, the solution to all the partitions or artificial amalgamations of countries or regions that cause strife in the world is not to blow up soldiers, policemen, small children or anyone else. I believe the answer is to listen to the 99.99% of the populations who want nothing more than to live their lives in peace and reasonable comfort, and close our ears to the 0.01% of criminals, idealogues, "priests" and politicians who foment discord to advance their own narrow, bigoted agenda, whether this goes by the name of republicanism, protestantism, Islam or whatever.

Alan