Britain strips power from Catholic-Protestant hands, resumes sole control of Northern Ireland
So runs the headline in the Boston Globe. It may be the fault of Sinn Fein, but the Brits look bad here. However it’s the reaction of the Unionists that is worrying and they are going to become more and more of a problem for the UK government, with or without the indiscretion of Sinn Fein. As the Protestant majority in Northern Ireland wanes due to the higher birthrate amongst Northern Irish Catholics, the Unionists will increasingly be on the defensive and will be likely to overreact in future, if they are not already.
So why can’t the European Union do anything about this? We’ve had the predictably useless role of the UN in sectarian control in Bosnia, so admittedly the idea doesn’t leap out of most politician’s mouths – but hell, lets at least call the federalists bluff, lets see if ‘Europe’ can take a neutral but useful role – allow and force the UK government to relinquish control. And while we’re at it, lets take the whole bloody mess to the European courts – why hasn’t anyone challenged the Protestant marches through Catholic areas as ‘incitement to racial hatred’ which is illegal under European directive.