I met people from both sides that have lived it as well as those whose overiding interest was peace.I have a left wing friend that is an orangeman (he is opposed to the marching) but his theoretical grounding is kind of lacking. His analysis may be correct but I was wondering if yours was different. He told me that religious discrimination happens from both sides hence the fear by protestants of treatment under a unification with Irish Repbulic. Also that economically everyone would be worse off as the Northern Ireland economy is propped up by UK.
My position is something along the lines of why cant we not discriminate against anyone on grounds of religion (or any other matter unless you are a Facist) yeh I know easier said than done "I wont discriminate against them when they don't discriminate against us.". Hopeing that the question of unification would become a non-issue. If the actual members of the IRA doing the shooting and bombing come from extreme poverty, should not we be trying to improve their standard of living and everyone else besides?
Essentially I put the above position to the IRA supporter and he went off his rocker going on about things that happened before most people alive today were born. He didn't want to know, OK so I was a rather naive the way I put it etc, but he was so bitter and twisted I could not get a decent answer from him. When I said they were killing people that may be sympathetic to what NI Catholics were going through etc let alone innocents he spouted "There are no innocents."
I see from a previous post that you are not a "republican" and from a lot of others that you are a Socialist. I'd really like to have your opinion.
