Religion is the badge, but it's not what it's about, any more than it is in Palestine or in former Yugoslavia.

Or rather religious affiliatiion come into it, but not religious beliefs. Thee's been instilled into Protestants of the North a fear that a break from Britain would mean dangerous change. For some it's a fear of a loss of privilege, for others it's a fear of persecution, and a loss of their separate identity and culture, of which religion is a part.

And the truth is, these haven't been totally groundless fears. The Protestant populatiion in the 26 countries has shrunk, not because of direct persecution, but because of things like pressure from the church and the community in mixed marriages for the children to be brought up as Catholics. There's no real reason to think that the Union has had any significant difference which has stopped that happening in the North, but it's been easy to stir up fears.

And one undeniable effect of the IRA campaign over the past generation has been to drive a wedge between the two parts of the community. I was on the Burntollet march in 1969 - and among thye marchers I remember talking to a good number of young people from Protestant backgrounds. The leadership of Civil Rights Movement included the Protestant (from the South) Ivan Cooper.