Don't forget that ALL the poor suffered during the '60 glorious years', not just the Irish. Lancashire miners and mill workers forced to take pay cuts to an already starvation-level wage. Long hours in attrocious conditions, a life expectancy of 30, an infant mortality rate of 40% - more in some parts. Child - almost slave - labour, the mine and mill owners also owning the houses and shops as well as the lives of their workers. Life was cheap enough to build the magnificent cities of Manchester, Rochdale and many other on the backs of the downtrodden masses.

Sorry, but one small part of the 'empire on which the sun never sets' does not have the exclusive rights to be oppressed - it happened to us all. At least a lot of the Irish managed to escape to the US while very few of those on the mainland could even summon up enough strength, funds or will to take that route.

An the polititians want to return to Victorian values...

Dave the Gnome