No, really, it sounds stupid and slightly selfish.
Go on, go on, go on go on go on......
I would say congrats but frankly being higher than the UK isn't saying much! Though RoI has really turned itself around and it should be congratulated for that. Which reminds me, you know how you said you could sympathise with the cause in the beginning? Well, I can also see the Protestant side of things. Yes, the main fear was their loss of power in an united Ireland but if you look at the Catholic Church in RoI in its earlier years it does seem quite...... questionable in some of the things it did. I'm not saying that Protestantism in England was exactly perfect but the dominance of the Catholic Church in RoI would surely be a reason for NI Protestants to really not want to join the rest of Ireland? Still I suppose there are the Protestant Ulster counties in RoI and they seemed happy enough. This is all in the past though. You obviously couldn't say the same about the dominace of Catholicism today. Partly because it isn't so intregrated into the state there now and also because Catholicism itself has changed for the better.
The Catholic Church down south certainly abused its power, but that was against its own...but i know of nothing relating to it actively promoting discrimination of Protestants...or burning people out of their homes, or their rights being denied. Protestants in the north have a pathological fear of Catholicism, due to such firebrands as Ian Paisley, who believes Line dancing to be evil and who set up his own church....Irish Catholics throughout the 1700s and 1800s were discrimanted against by a Protestant minority who held the land. Again its in their heads that they have created their own demons.....there are many Protestants down south leading very happy lives....Financeguy would probably know better...but i really doubt protestants have it any different to catholics in the republic.
In terms of all Catholic, very few. But in terms of areas of cities being one ethnic group or religion, most places. London has lots of areas where one group is predominent. Bradford's nickname says a lot about the racial intregation of the place (not that I've ever been to Bradford and I hope that nickname is meant with affection rather than the blantant racism it invites), Leeds also has areas where it's one ethnic group only. In fact I'd say most cities.
It was a bad example on my part...the first time i ever spoke face to face with someone of another race was last December in Oxford...Belfast is not just that ethnically mixed...there are more Philipinos now and Chineseas well as more blacks....but still a very white and Catholic/Protestant place.
Racism is abundant here as Loyalism has always had racist group links. The Chinese population gets targeted a lot. This kind of environment breeds racism and it is also in Nationalist communities though i would not say it is as bad as amongst loyalism.
So it's YOUR fault the UK is so low down is it?!!
You bet
There was an interesting question about this on another message board. A Unionist asked (nicely) to a Nationalist whether they felt Irish or British or any duality in their identity. The Nationalist felt exactly the same as you but the Unionist felt (if I remember correctly) a duality in their identity. That they were both Irish and British. Wonder whether the hardcore loyalists feel a 'dual identity' or not?
In Northern Ireland we are British citizens and Irish ones...we get to pick and chose...my identity is Irish, so my passport is Irish etc What is a British identity anyway? I mean to me it has always seemed a form of English identity that has been tried to be imposed on everyone on these two islands.....Scots i am sure see themselves as Scots..not British surely?..if someone asked you what was your nationality? would you say English or British?...there is very little difference between them both...it just seems like a new word for imposing a from of English culture on us all (not that English culture is bad, jus my culture is Irish not some new form of Englishness) British is not a cultural identity is it? Everything about a British culture 'seems' to be distinctly English that is used to adapt different cultures to it such as Indian and all that...but when i think British, i think of things that are English...Welsh people see themselves as Welsh....why do the Unionists here who live in an island called Ireland..wish to be known as British, when they have been here for 500 odd years...why not Irish? I am sure southern Protestants see themselves as Irish....it just seems daft.