Fionn, It is not wishful thinking, but it is fairly accurate. This is one reason I suspect why the census of 2001 has not yet been released, they don't want to frighten the loyalist population, some of whom think they are still running about 3 to i. Granted it may be more in and around Belfast and parts of Co. Down but in the other 4 counties especially Derry the loyalists are probably in the monority. When the day comes , hopefully the protestant population will not be subjected to the kinds of bigotry and racism that was practised on their catholic neighbours for so long, but if they are, all I can say is it's the faulkt of their fathers and grandfathers who took such great delight in keeping the catholics in their place, and it's also the fault of the Westminster government for allowing it to go on for so long.
Being born and reared in North Belfast and having been subjected to many forms of bigotry from being "lifted" on a regular basis just because (1 I could speak a little Irish, 2) I carried a hurley stick going across town to a game and 3) belive it or not just because I did irish dancing - these things were enough to be considered a suspect for every burglary, hit and run, purse snatching , you mention it. There was barely a Tuesday night passed that a policeman was not waiting on me as I passed down Cliston street. I wast taken to Glenravel St Barracks on all kinds of excuses - line ups being the most common one. Keeping me and others long enough to miss whatever functions we were headed for. BTW, all of us in the line up were catholic from the same district, even when the crime was committed somewhere up the Shankill. Many times I believe there was no crime at all, but it was a way to antagonise us.

One example I will give about the bigotry of some loyalists (I am not talking about everyday decent protestants here) but dyed in the wool orangemen. I got a job as an insurance agent. The premiums had to be collected door to door in those days (1965). The office manager in his wisdom assigned me to the Tiger Bay area of Belfast, a staunch orange community. When these families discovered I was a catholic almost 40% of them cancelled their policies within 2 weeks of me getting the job. When I asked them why, right to my face they said " We do not deal with catholics and we do not deal with any company that employs catholics". The company was based in England.

These things occurring year after year made me decide to leave, thankfully I came to Canada, one of the best countries in the world.

Years later we got the bad news that my wife's brother had been shot and killed at his own door by loyalists. The gunmen were able to get into his street by passing an army patrol and 2 policemen on duty at the next corner, they also get away by the same route after firing 3 shots.

My wife and 2 daughters went home for the funeral, of course everybody made a big fuss about their canadian nieces whom they had never met. The family planned a party for them the night befoe they were due to return to Canada. By a strange coincidence all the uncles were lifted for questioning that day and not released until the plane had departed for Toronto. These are only a few examples of what happens there and has been happening for many years, sheer unadulterated bigotry and racism at it's worst. What galls me is that the British government knew these thing were common for almost 50 years and did NOTHING about it. When the sh-- hit the fans and demonstartions started somehow the catholics were blamed and branded terrorists etc. Why any catholic there would want to be british is beyond me. Why any Irishman or woman would want to go England begging for work is beyond me. I was in London for 4 hours waiting on a ship and that was enough.

I guess you know where I stand.