> Northern Ireland _is_ an > example of freedom through > bloodshed ... > the UK conceded to give them > genuine choice This is non-histori

> Northern Ireland _is_ an > example of freedom through > bloodshed ... > the UK conceded to give them > genuine choice This is non-historic. Northern Ireland resisted unification with Ireland, opting out of home rule, given the choice. 35% of the population were Catholic only, and its not unreasonable to simplify to say that the rest wanted to remain part of the UK. Were one to hold a refendum today about joining Ireland, you might expect a near-enough split vote. The idea that Great Britain were somehow wedded to the idea of keeping Northern Ireland welded to the rest of it against the will of the people is simply factually incorrect. Until recently there were a lot of armed people on both sides of that question with the majority in NI wanting to stay part of the UK. Britain's treatment of Ireland was a car crash over the previous few centuries, but the narrative that it was resisting the popular will of the people by keeping it in the UK is simply wrong.