Well those links exist as an acknowledgement of the fact that Ireland's 'independence' from the UK is pretty much titular in nature. Ireland remains economically and militarily dependent on the UK - not least in its need to be able to send its surplus workforce here.
Largest immigrant group in the UK apparently. A chief constable visited my school and made a speech which included that nugget.
It was nicely done, he framed it as a question: Who do you think is ...
Obviously no-one present knew or cared. Principally, I think, because Mrs Smallard had forgotten the middle button on her blouse. He seemed to want someone to say "redgunamo!"
When nobody did, he loosed off his shot.
"Plenty of strikers can score goals," he said, gesturing to the famous old stands casting shadows around us.
"But a lot have found it difficult wearing the number 9 shirt for The Arsenal."
Perhaps. I have an open mind on the issue, defence is pointless expenditure for the Irish because their only potential "enemy" is UK and even during the troubles the British bulldog was lying on its back and wanting to be tickled in the tummy for most of the time.
But if what you say is true how come they devote so much of their energy to trying and grabbing another piece of UK and thereby acquiring more population which they don't know how to feed?
They don't. They gave up their constitutional claim to the six counties as part of the Good Friday agreement. Equally, during the troubles, the unspeakable truth in Irish governmental circles was that the last thing they would have wanted was British withdrawal or a united Ireland, since the Republic simply wouldn't have been able to deal with a security problem on that scale and would have been forced to call in the UN.
Irish posturing over NI has always been just that. It's a problem they are very happy for the Brits to have all to themselves.
Right. That's the thing, isn't it; political correctness, racism (the racket, I mean), multi-culturalism etc. is the love-child of "modern, liberal and secular", ain't it. Which naturally leads to tolerance of intolerance.
Is it really possible to support the former with out also, and at the same time, accepting a measure of responsibilty for the latter? I know I couldn't do it. But then, not even my worst enemies would describe me as "modern, liberal and secular."
"Plenty of strikers can score goals," he said, gesturing to the famous old stands casting shadows around us.
"But a lot have found it difficult wearing the number 9 shirt for The Arsenal."
You haven't really been fooled by that have you? The Irish politicians saw sense and realised all they have to do to gain the golden apple is to carry on obeying the Pope on the condom question. Within a few years of the Catholics becoming a majority in Ulster they will agitate for a referendum, get it and leave the Union for their own Enosis.
Right. If you think the Republic of Ireland is desperate to get its paws on Northern Ireland, you're wrong. Equally, NI leaving the union by democratic self-determination has never been a problem as far as the UK is concerned. The problem lay in it being dragged out by violence - something the British rightly refused to countenance.
The biggest mistake anyone can make in attempting to understand NI is to think that Britain and Ireland are fighting over it. They're not. Both sides are just dealing with it as an unwished-for historical legacy for which they feel responsibility and whose descent into chaos they are both desperate to avoid.