I am from North Belfast, most of my family still live there. ArdMhacha and Paddymac hit it right on the button. The truth is that a segment of loyalists will never be happy until every last catholic in the north of Ireland is dead. If anybody is naive enough to believe that guns are out of the equation for good, you better think again. Sooner or later they will be back , The demographics of the north are changing but it would not matter if 85% were to vote for a reunification of the country tomorrow,the other 15% would be up in arms. We are talking here of a place where hatred is ingrained for centuries and children cannot walk to school without being harrassed by thugs. The school has been there since 1961, I know they could take the back road to the school to avoid trouble but sure afro americans also could have sat meekly in the back of the bus to avoid trouble also. Did anyone not notice the silence from people like Paisley etc about the school issue, that is because they secretly agree with the thugs who are protesting. I sincerly hope that peace does come, I pray for it every day, but it has to be a peace based on equality and justice, and that is a long way off. I said in a previous post months that what most people in the world enjoy as civil rights are considered concessions when catholics in the 6 counties demand the same things. Was it a concession when Rosa parks sat in the front of the bus and refused to give up her seat - NO, it was her right. The children in Ardoyne have a right to walk the shortest way to school, they have a right to go through the front doors - going in the back way will not solve the prob;em, the protesters there are such that they would find sonmething else to harass them about. Sorry for rambling on - God I hope I am wrong about the return of the guns.