Really Jim - 500 alleged UDA killings (which, I may say, were nothing to do with me) and how many republican? Isn't it about 6,500?

While the island of Ireland or parts of it might have wanted to be free of English rule they had two legitimate avenues: political action (and even voting) which might have been ineffective, and uprising against the occupying forces, but not burning down the probate registry (really useful that) or bombing non-combatants and non-invaders. Mountbatten was (in my humble opinion) a legitimate target (whatever his age) but shoppers in London or elsewhere were not. Bombing occupying civilians is a less clear-cut area.

I have conceded that some past English (and to a lesser extent UK) government actions were wrong. But while they may have killed by force many republicans I suspect that even that number was less than 6,500, and they certainly killed by force fewer non-combatants.

The Great Famine probably killed a million, but it appears to me to have been more the product of two things - capitalism and incompetence - than malice and indeed many of the things of which you complain, Jim, had already started to be or had been undone.

You have however got me to read more Irish history today than I had ever done before.