Keith's snide 'Fascist bully boy' reference on the Israeli atrocity thread reminded me that I hadn't responded to the 'public opinion' comments earlier.
The gerrymandered Protestant majority in the north are still in the majority, so they are certainly going to vote for the retention of the six counties. They have maintained their superiority in the north through their political dominance and through their history of intimidation and outright bullying. We are now entering into the marching season when they will be parading and posturing in their bowler hats and orange sashes and have applied to march through nationalist areas such as the Garvaghey Road following their annual intimidatory march to Drumcree. Any decision in the north has to be considered in the light of 80 years of such intimidation.
In the Republic support for the unification of Ireland waxes and wanes depending on the current situation. At the time of the hunger strikes, when this place was bedecked with black flags, or at the time of announcement of the Birmingham Six/Guilford Four et al fit-ups there would have been no doubt whatever of a clear decision to end the partition. Unification still remains an aim of all the political parties here though sometimes a 'peace at any price' feeling prevails – not the best guide to a lasting decision.
I have no strong feelings one way or the other on a united Ireland; I merely point out that while the country is divided the conflict will continue.
I.M.O a lasting peace will only be achieved by ALL the parties concerned reaching an amicable decision though open debate which takes in the interests and wishes of all the people; otherwise we can look forward to a future of Bloody Sundays. Holding up past decisions arrived as I have described, as definitive, guarantees this as a future for Ireland.
Hamas was elected democratically – I don't see Keith and his apologists throwing their support for them because of their 'chosen' status.
At the risk of being labelled a 'Fascist bully boy' I again point out that the Nazi Party was elected into power (as were the governments that took Britain into Iraq and America into Viet Nam).
It is how Governments exercise power that is the final decider on whether they are good leaders, not how they got there.
Jim Carroll