Only the annual drunken teenage rampage remains.

Sinn Féin has accepted that the constitutional status of Northern Ireland cannot be changed without the consent, not only of the majority of voters there, but also of the majority of those who define themselves by their opposition to any such change. In other words, the majority of those voting No would have to vote Yes. Since that is impossible, change is impossible. Sinn Féin has signed up to this.

Where once one third, the Catholic third, of the population of Northern Ireland favoured union with the Republic, that figure is now only one third of Catholics, with fifty-two per cent of Catholics positively in favour of the continuing Union with Great Britain. As Northern Ireland has become more Catholic, the Catholic population has become more Unionist, until it is now predominantly so.

“Dissident” paramilitary activity raises the question of what we are paying for; Fianna Fáil hanged the IRA, as we had set it up to do. But no “dissident Republican” contested the 2010 General Election, and the Workers’ Party failed to contest West Belfast for the first time in living memory. Northern Nationalism as a political, rather than a cultural, phenomenon is now manifestly minimal.

Any statement of such aspiration is, on any objective criterion, the very last thing made by means of a vote for Sinn Féin. If that were not the case, then Sinn Féin, or indeed the SDLP, would receive a negligible number of votes from what is now the predominantly Unionist Catholic population.

Is there something wrong with being a Republican? Something wrong with seeking a united Ireland free from foreign occupation? Is this so difficult to fathom- that we want our country back? Ireland was not England's to take all those years ago.

It baffles me to hear people (particularly from outside the north of Ireland) spouting their uninformed opinions. I've often been asked what my opinion is of the IRA, the "problem", the "terrorists" in Ireland. I always reply by saying I don't like what they did but I do understand why they did it. Back in the 1960s, the Nationalists were discriminated against- this is a fact that no-one can deny. The IRA stood up for the Nationalists/Catholics at this time. But what frustrates me most is that the surfacing of the IRA could have been prevented if the Catholic Church had spoken out. I'm convinced that if the Catholic Church had done the right thing, 'the troubles' could have been avoided. Nationalists had no-one to defend them- no wonder the IRA reformed. Lest we forget, Unionists had the RUC to defend them in the 1960s while the Nationalists couldn't rely on the the RUC/police to protect them. Had it not been for the IRA, Catholics in NI would still have the worst housing, worst jobs, worst land etc.

Don't people realise that killing took place from both sides? UVF, LVF, UDA??? People in England never seem to have heard of these groups, probably to do with the biased news coverage over there. I should know.

The republicans who are causing trouble now are poor, working-class, unemployed young men. If they had jobs they wouldn't be out throwing petrol bombs at the police. And the same type of people are doing the same on the unionist side. These aren't bad people- they're frustrated.

The comment above again shows the continued one sided bigotry of some people.Are you telling me no innocent Protestant people were murdered by republicans,no innocent Protestant people were sent to prison,no Protestant prisoners are stripped searched.Grow up tell the truth it happens across both religions and at last people are starting to realise that.

@ C Baker- I really find your opinion very difficult to understand. It's so easy from the outside to think, "move on" etc. but if this were your country essentially occupied by another country would you just give up?
"This quaint idea of English and Irish rule is old hat."
I'm sorry can you please tell me how else to describe England's "presence" in Ireland?

I'm all for making progress and have no problem with Protestants/Unionist (many of whom I count as friends.) I just think that it's difficult to forgive or forget, but I also think it's difficult for people who haven't been involved in the troubles of the past to understand why. I know countless people from my local area who were interned by the British army without trial just because they were Catholics back in the early 70s. I know innocent people who were sent to prison for 20 years+. My father's relation (a completely innocent non-political man) was abducted and murdered in a horrifically brutal way by loyalist paramilitaries while locking a gate after work-this wasn't even 10 years ago. The police had an abundance of evidence which mysteriously went missing a few days before the trial. Catholic prisoners are STILL subjected to strip searches. The list goes on. I accept that people must try to work through these issues as they cannot dwell on them, but it's difficult when this sectarian behaviour even from authorities (PSNI) still exists.

I'm just tired of the English government feeling that it has some moral high ground over these little Irish people who can't stop fighting, when the English government are the people who caused all this trouble.
I am careful to blame the English government, not the English people- who are in my experience perfectly charming some of the time. Their only fault is that English people are often completely ignorant of the situation in Ireland and don't seem to be in any way aware that England has a part to play. If they took the time to actually research the history, they'd be truly ashamed to be English, because of what their governments have done time and time again in their name. I must speak as I find.

@Bobby- "Are you telling me no innocent Protestant people were murdered by republicans,no innocent Protestant people were sent to prison,no Protestant prisoners are stripped searched."

On reading my comment again, I realise that I probably do come across as one-sided but nowhere did I deny that the protestant people have had a difficult time too. The IRA have been responsible for so much and I'm certainly not standing up for them, I detest what they did. I do recognise however that without them life for Catholics would not have changed. Whether the death of many innocents was a price worth paying is open for debate. As for strip searches of Protestants- no this would certainly not have happened on the same scale because 90% of the police at this time were Protestant and extremely biased on the whole, bigoted. I am not a bigot though. I'm speaking the truth (facts) in my above comment so please tell me if I'm saying something you feel is bigoted. But consider first, whether or not it is true.

It is fair enough to say Republicanism is divisive...but not from an Orange march!