There's a good reason why nationalists in the north learned to mistrust the British government - and that's because, for much of the last century, the ruling party was "The Conservative and Unionist Party".
That's right - unionist. Post partition, the warped doctrine of No Surrender was as much an article of faith for the Tory party as any of the other absurdities it has perpetrated.
Remember it was a Labour government that sent in the troops first of all - in response to a terrified Gerry Fitt calling Downing Street direct from a chippie as a civil rights march was having seven shades of shit kicked out of it.
And, for a while, squaddies were welcomed as protectors by the minority nationalist community - until, of course, the government in Westminster changed colour and the establishment took over. Then came Bloody Sunday and all was lost.

Apropose not a lot else, it always makes me larf when the British government says: "Terrorists will never win!" There have been precious few instances of HMG divesting herself of her overseas colonies or dominions without a bit of terrorism.