"By the will of the people has the Republic's constitutional claim on the North been abandoned?"
No it hasn't - It is still an aim of all the major parties in Ireland.
"Have the people of Ireland clearly stated their opinion that violence has no place in Irish politics?"
Yes they have - have the culprits of the Bloody Sunday massacre stated the same - if so, why did it take nearly forty years to put their hands up to the crime?
"Have the people of Ireland clearly stated their opinion that it is up to the population of Northern Ireland to determine how and by whom they are governed?"
Some have, some haven't. Those who have are prepared to let give the political process a chance. That process is so fragile at present that it only takes one minister's wife misbehaving herself to bring the whole thing crashing to the ground.
The present peace process has led to power sharing, the removal of British troops from Ireland and the dismantling of the border as such - which is regarded by those involved as a step towards re-unification. What will happen if there is no more progress remains to be seen.
"Oh Jim the "Black and Tans" were not formed to terrorise"
Yes they were - at least, that's how the history bools tell it - even those vaguely in support of the British line - try Beresford-Ellis, or Tim Pat Coogan.
The thuggish behaviour of the Tans and the Auxiliaries is well enough documented to be beyond dispute - the burning of Cork City, the massacre of football supporters at Croke Park.... They were Neanderthal thugs sent to subdue.
"For the last 9 days you have been posting about why we should not."
I ask again - where have I once suggested that the views of the Protestant majority should not be considered? So far you have not provided one example.
I simply say that the partition of Ireland is the main/only cause of the internicene violence there, as it has been where any country has been partitioned.
Whatever you and I may think, the retention of six counties by a foreign nation will continue to be a running sore while it persists - that is how national identity works, and the nonsensical idea that Britain would tolerate the ownership of one square foot of their territory, especially on their mainland, is just that - nonsense.
Jim Carroll