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Ulster Protestants will not be deflected from their traditional
loyalty to the Crown, and membership of the United Kingdom,
irrespective of unrealistic views of some people.
A Church of Ireland clergyman based in Co. Meath was reported
as saying that Northern Ireland Protestants should be looking
in future to the South, rather than to mainland Britain for
their political allegiance.
Well, with all due respect to that cleric, and any other
person holding the same view, the reaction of the vast majority
of Ulster Protestants to his views will be "Thanks, but
not thanks".
There are many 'ignorant' folk on the British mainland who
know little about Irish politics, or the fact that there are
two different states on the island of Ireland.
But that in no way adds validity to the argument that Northern
Ireland Protestants should look to the South rather than to
the United Kingdom.
Ulster Protestants know only too well the realities of the
situation in the South since 1921, when the British withdrew
from the 26 counties.
The Protestant population has dropped from 10 per cent to
3 per cent, and the numbers have declined from 330,000 to
just over 100,000.
There is no evidence of tolerance towards any of the tiny
Protestant minority in the South who would be pro-British.
On the contrary, the absence of Union Jacks flying from any
flagpoles in the Republic, and the violence directed in Dublin
city centre towards the proposed march by innocent victims
of IRA violence proves the reality.
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom through the
democratic wish of a large section of its population, demonstrated
in election after election.
The people of Northern Ireland displayed their loyalty to
Britain in two World Wars, with great loss of life, through
the sacrifice of its soldiers, sailors and airmen, and the
1,000-plus citizens of Belfast who died in the German air
raids of 1941.
Northern Ireland Protestants have nothing to feel embarrassed
or ashamed about as far as their membership of the United
Kingdom is concerned. They are as British as the people of
England, Scotland and Wales, and that is the way it will remain
for the foreseeable future.
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