RE: British withdrawal from Northern Ireland

This topic has kicked off a fair bit of discussion, but given the information supplied so far, the question remains – should the UK pull out of Northern Ireland?

To add a further question to this topic, what benefit is there in the UK remaining in N.I.? What is the point in staying there if the cost is prohibitive and the likelihood of eternal peace is remote?

Understand that from 20,000 km away, the presentation on our media of the troubles in N.I. concentrates on the “newsworthy”, such as murders, riots, fights between various republican/loyalist groups and the police and other violent issues, without any explanation of the causes. I confess to being almost totally ignorant of the reasons for the violence or indeed, the UK’s determination to remain there. It doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble and I wonder what harm would be caused to the UK if it handed N.I. back to the Irish.

I would, however, like to thank a number of members of the board who have gone to some trouble to provide a good outline of the history behind the Irish problems. I am much the wiser thanks to their efforts.

Regards

Wombat

RE: British withdrawal from Northern Ireland

Thanks for the comment, guys. I must confess that my knowledge of what make Northern Ireland tick is very limited, and Andrew’s responses certainly don’t alleviate my ignorance. (Thanks, Kev)

I’m a bit surprised at the number of individual groups you have referred to. In Oz, we hear of the IRA (naturally), Sin Fein, UVF and that’s about it. It appears that the republicans can’t even get themselves united in their opposition to Britain – am I correct in that assumption?

I have often wondered why it was that Britain became involved with Northern Ireland in the first place. When did the province become a part of the UK – was it 1917?

The thing that confuses me is the “loyalists” versus “republicans” argument, mingled with the Catholics versus Protestants problems. Are these two problems related? Surely there is a strong mix of Catholic and Protestant religions amongst the loyalists and the republicans, so how do they explain the hatred that we see so much of?

Andrew – you still haven’t told me why your dad was so important that he is blamed for many of the current problems – care to enlighten all of us?

Regards

Wombat

RE: Australia’s refugee problem

Mongu/Rabie

The Tasman Bridge, over the River Derwent, which is the one Mongu referred to, was the scene of a major disaster in 1975, when a ship collided with one of the piers. A couple of sections of the bridge collapsed with the loss of quite a few lives.

Rabie – you’r lucky to have relo’s there – if you ever come over this side of the world, make sure you visit them and give Tasmania the look-over. It isn’t very big by Aussie standards, you can easily drive from north to south in half a day, and two to three weeks gives you adequate time to really see the place.

It’s a separate island to the rest of Australia and in many ways, it is a world removed from the mainland, too. A really beautiful place.

Regards

Wombat

RE: Australia’s refugee problem

Mongu

Despite what many Sydneysiders say about Melbourne, it’s a good place to live.

I come from Sydney, but find the oppressive humidity of our summers, combined with temperatures over 40C occasionally, really unbearable. I like cooler climates and, if I had my choice, would prefer to live in either Victoria or Tasmania. Tassie’s climate is not unlike Britains, just not as prone to severe cold and snow.

Hope it all works out for you. Melbourne is a fine choice.

Regards

Wombat