>Dave, the expressions of dislike are found in such statments as how can you wish us peace etc... If those statements were missinterpreted, my appologies. I accept fully that you wish well, and send back the same.

I was simply asking you a question, how can you wish me peace if you support or have supported a terrorist organisation. If you do not support the terrorists then fair enough. I'll wish you peace anyway, whatever the circumstances.

>In fact, there would have been a nationalist majority in the north decades ago, by the birth rate alone, but for the extrodinary discrimination, so democracy has not occured in a vacume -

Oh? That's an interesting statement. Prove it. Protestant migration out of NI has been quite high as well. Indeed, I left NI two years ago myself - I now work in Bournemouth on the south coast of England. I will go back to NI at some point, but not for a while.

BTW I remember reading an article in the Belfast Telegraph a while back. It said that the latest demographic figures show a large decline in the catholic birthrate in NI. So much so that it is reckoned that catholics may actually never reach a majority. NI will probably end up evenly balanced between Protestants and Catholics. Having said that, support for a United Ireland is actually only about 35% or so in Northern Ireland.

>both censorship (I am shocked that you dont accept that there is censorship in England and Ireland! Did you read the Stalker Report yet?) and forced migration has played a role. This forced migration is one reason why the political difference between the Irish community in England and the US - victems of British prejudice came here.

And the million and a half Irish citizens living on the mainland UK? Don't forget that last numbers of Irish emigrated to the UK mainland after the famine.

>Well, two days into the new millenium and the system seems to still be working, so lets be a little hopeful that progress is possible. As Lawrence Olivier said to aspire to our tallents and work with our failures, lets be inspired by our shared musical traditions and use our disscussion of our differences to grow. All the best Larry

Progress has been made. The people of NI are governing themselves for the good of all the people in NI (the words of David Trimble spring to mind: "A pluralist parliment for a pluralist people"). The ROI has dropped its offensive and immoral claim on NI, and soon the terrorists will start disarming.

However, on to another point re The Stalker Report: if there was really a shoot-to-kill policy, do you think that there would be a lot more dead terrorists about? NB Stalker never found any evidence of a shoot-to-kill poilicy (source Jack Holland: Hope Against History, The Ulster Conflict, Hodder & Stoughton, 1999).

Anyway, this thread seems to be drawing to a course (perhaps fortunately, as mudcat is not a place for a political discussion like this). So unless someone has a question or anything I consider this to be my last post on the subject.

Regards, Dave