Tiocfaidh you write
As far as the average Brit wanting to 'wash their hands of Ireland'--, that wouldn't have happened without a successful Armed Struggle. Painful to admit, eric, but true nonetheless.

Whatever you think of British people, as a group they always support the underdog.
I remember the boycott of appartheid S Africa, refusing to play sports with them and ejecting them from the commonwealth. I remember how Rhodesia was forced to declare independance fro us because we would not tolerate their regime.
I remember the universal support here for the US Civil Rights movement.
And I remember that everyone on the mainland sympathised with and supported the NI Civil Rights movement. A couple of years, months even, and public opinion would have forced the changes you are now anticipating.
But then came the bombs.
I still remember those scenes of the bus station. A fireman using a shovel on a bloody mess with long blonde hair. A wave of revulsion swept the country and set your cause back 30 years.