"The north of Ireland is the last holdout of colonialism."

Sadly not true. Last holdout of a particular type of British colonialism perhaps (though in a sense England itself is that) - but other types of colonialism by various countries and multi-national componaies are pretty rife, and if anything they are on the increase.

That's thread drift where it isn't needed, and I hope it won't turn into a discussion that would be better in another thread - but I felt the point needed making.

A real apology has to involve more than words, it has to include an attempt at some kind of restitution or repair. I think that it is quite possible that something like that might even be on the cards here in time, in some way.

And an apology for the way this whole nonsense of partition and divide-and-rule was forced upon Ireland - now that would be very appropriate from the British Government; and more especially from the Conservative Party, heirs of Randolph Churchill with his "play the Orange card". But I can't see that ever happening.