I am half Irish, half English/British (take your pick), and I spend a lot of time in Eire (the Republic of Ireland) with my family there. Many discussions have taken place over the years, and a large percentage of Irish people tend to ignore the Northern Ireland problem, not seeing NI as their problem...'leave it to the Brits' tends to be the general attitude...in other words, 'we couldn't give a monkeys'. The fact is that the UK government has been and is in a right old pickle about Northern Ireland. ..what to do??? If the UK gives Northern Ireland independence (pretty much impossible)..or back to Ireland (even more impossible)....there would be bloodshed like never before, which, if you think about, makes the possible, well, pretty much impossible, without having further blood on our hands. The situation is relatively quiet there now, so why do anything...while there are still waters, lay back and enjoy. The fact is that a larger percentage of the population in NI want to remain a part of the UK (I am totally impartial). Unfortunately, Britains colonial past has had created many undesirable headaches for present politicians...but also has contributed greatly to Britains affluent and hugely successful multi cultural mix. Caribbean, African, Asian....all here, and compared to anywhere else in the world, extremely intermixed, equal and happy.
I noticed many Americans posting messages about this subject, I like you Yanks, good people (the ones I have met)...but let us not forget, your foreign policy totally sucks shit, need I name but a few of the hundreds of 'headaches' that your country has created in it's globally short history....Vietnam, Korea, Panama.....the list goes on and on, sorry to say it guys, but you now top the list of global bullies....
P.S. and does NORAID ring a bell to any of our American cousins????
(fingers in pies, fingers in pies...)