I would love nothing better than to see lasting peace and a just society for the North of Ireland. I am a great believer in democracy and equal rights for all, but anyone who thinks that the loyalists are going to join the rest of Ireland at anytime in the future without a fight is barking up a gum tree. I know many loyalists, and was friends with some when I was younger and they will fight to the end and wiil not give a damn about majorities, minorities or whatever. Before Ireland is united there will be one mother of a fight. It may not come for a long time but it will come. If anyone thinks that a society that has had their way for over 80 years is going to change because some majority says so, then you do not understand the loyalist population. They will fight to keep the status quo just as republicans are fighting to change it. This is a war of attrition and with republicans having larger families (albeit not as large as in the past) it is only a matter of time before the loyalists are in the minority, but that does not mean that will slide peacefully into a united Ireland. I am sorry to repeat what I have said, but sooner or later there will be one hell of a ruckus and it will not be pretty and will not be for the faint hearted. The future of Ireland is bright but the immediate future is frightening. God help us all.