Fishona, i actualy agree that the current situations is the best it has been in the last 500 years, and that a real effort has been made by all parties ... but to say England has no claim at all on Eire, and is currently working with all parties to try to create an independently-governed Northern Ireland --
it to say that the island nation of Eire which did exist for thousands of years doesn't..that is now two nations/states. And to place the problem back in the 17 century, and not in the partitioning of ireland in after the 1917 uprising, and the ensueing free state, is not quite acurate.
Yes, the colonist who came over in the 17th century had a right to remain.. but the english goverment made the problem with the partition..
I can understand the colonist thought themselves members of the UK and wanted to stay that way.. but the native people wanted to be part( and still want to be part!) of ireland.
Early in the last century, the english thought it was perfectly ok to disenfranchise the irish in the northern counties, rather than have the english colonist there disenfranchised by the northern counties remaining part of the irish whole...
i do have a love/hate relationship with the english.. and i think this is one area, where i will never to able to agree with the english point of view...
the english started messing in ireland almost 1000 years ago, and are still there.. it wasn't just in the 17th C. that they colonized.. for a 1000 years, they have been trying to impose their will.. and soon, because of birth rate differences, the majority of norther ireland will be, once again, irish. it might not happen in my lifetime, but it is happening.
