Queen Elizabeth will visit Ireland before Mary McAleese steps down

ROYAL POST SCRUPTUM: ... a friendly, mutually beneficial State Visit by The Queen is preferable to a Declaration of War any day!

[contd] but of course, we can only guess as to what might have happened if Collins had lived on to be a part of the next chapter. I like to think that the peoples of this island could have gotten to the position we now find ourselves in much sooner. Collins and many of his colleagues on the pro-treaty side were pragmatists which largely dictated I suppose the positions they including Collins took. Even Eamon Devalera (much later in his life) was prepared to concede that Collins's view had been correct when he spoke of history judging the greatness of Michael Collins at his(devalera's) expense. You're right when you say that for the status quo to alter, hearts and minds have to change. History has clearly shown that you cant brow-beat upwards of 900000 Unionists into a Soverign 32 county Irish state. So, if you cant do that then the pragmatic option is to provide them with more reason to be part of an all-ireland socio/political entity than not to. Some years ago, I predicted the evolution of a Federal model of Governance in Ireland, with Regional Assemblies in Dublin and Belfast, but with a developing model for Island wide Governance. Ihave seen nothing to pursuade me thus far that this cannot happen. By necessity it will have to evolve within the current East-West/ North- South dimension; but the signs are already there as to the wisdom of planning on an all island basis. And the great thing is that it will not require the corecion of any one section of the people of this island; but rather it will evolve through natural requirement.

BABYEWE: Keep yer fleece on! I am sure DanO'L just had a lapse as he is a sensible poster. We all make 'typo's' - I think it's because of this little five line box we are squeezed into. Don't be discouraged. Try 'drafting' your post on a Document then Copy - Paste to comment box. This also gives you use of 'spellchecker'. On MacAleese, nobody can tell me if she travels on an Irish or a British passport. I see you dislike the idea of Elizabeth coming: but what interests me is the purpose and Timing of the Visit! ................You like to sign off "Peace Always" (after a CAPS RANT!)The Queen will come in Peace, bringing further friendship, goodwill and harmony between Great Britain Ireland

I love to see Jerry Adams as the next Irish Prime Minister that way he could be there to greet the Queen.

JUST BECAUSE I MISSPELLED [PROTEST ] .CANT PEOPLE USE THEIR IMAGINATION . TO FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT SPELLING . THANKING YOU PEACE ALWAYS .

barneyjo..Let me put it this way.Do you think it failed for a very large section of the community of Norn Iron? On this Island as you say everyone has different perspectives.That's true and while your post all sounds fair and inclusive and we must all understand eachothers point of view.If everbodies point of view held the same validity,then the status quo would remain and nothing would change.The slave owners in the south felt they had a valid point of view in owning blacks.For change to happen somebody has to change a person's or communities point of view.So by to-days standards of modern thinking,while everybody has a valid point,each valid point has to be measured TO other peoples valid points. In other words not all valid points and beliefs hold the same weight.

@DanOLoingsigh - thanks for the kind thought. Still not quite sure where the particular train of thought came from, but I was very aware of the "Human Condition" when I was typing it, my own included!!

@barneyjo, a thoughtful and well-argued post. J. M. Keynes said 'The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones…’, so many people have no interest in even attempting to escape, confident in the certainty of their own prejudices.

[contd] I dispute that of course. We each of us in turn have our own sense of the ebb and flow of history, and the consequences flowing from it. As I have stated previously I do not intend to pursue the notion of "I'm right, you're wrong - get over it" for the simple fact that it is a futile exercise. Like everyone else I have a view of the world in general, and my world in particular that is no more, or no less valid than that of anyone else who bothers to post on these pages. One other thing, if there are indeed as many "West-Brits" in Ireland (north & south) as sirpeter and others have suggested, then God Save Ireland in all I can say..........

A further reflection for all posters here... you know what, we each of us have a view of the world at large, and our own part in it, which if formed in large measure by our own experiences, and reference points that have been put in place by those that have gone before us. Each of us inevitably will rely heavily on those experiences and reference points, particularly when we see the world in general, and our own worlds in particular change dramatically, and any sense of control we have is wrested from us. We can regard ourselves as Catholic, Protestant, Republican, Loyalist, Agnostic, or Aetheist, and we can convince ourselves that our view of the world in THE one that is absolutely valid. But the very fact that there are so many different, yet valid views articulated on this space, negates the very notion of absolute validity. No one who posts here can place an absolute claim that their sense of history is more valid than most. In the exchanges beteween sirpeter and myself, you will have seen totally different viewpoints emanating from essentially the same facts. sirpeter charges me that I am not in possession of the full "facts" and that by definition I am throwing a curved ball.............

Did Partition fail? I suppose that depends on your definition of failure, and at what level of operation and consciousness; at a Micro or Macro level. Failure and its sense is largely a subjective concept. I guess it depends on the context. Oh and when I refer to myself as an Ulsterman, I am of course referring to the nine county Province, and not the six county Statelet now turned into a Super Council.

@babyewe-with your gift in use of English, can we rely on you to produce the ‘PROSEST’ signs & banners we will all need soon?

barneyjo..that's fine..Just answer me this..As an Irish Man and an Ulsterman...Did partition fail?

HELL NO WAY. WE DONT NEED ROYAL SCUM IN IRELAND . MAY SHE AND THE REST OF THE ROYAL FAMILY GO TO HELL. HAS THE REP OF IRELAND'S PEOPLE FORGOTTON HOW THE BRITISH ROYAL. AND THEIR COHORTS HAVE TORTURE OUR ANCESTORS. FOR UNTOLD NUMBER OF YEARS . WAKE UP FELLOW IRISH CITZENS AND PROSEST ANY VISIT FROM THEM [ROYAL SCUM ] . AND WHEN IS REP OF IRELAND. GOING TO ELECT A PRESIDENT BORN IN REP OF IRELAND . THANKING YOU . PEACE ALWAYS .

Towngate, I am assuming "herself" carries an Irish passport ! I could hardly assume otherwise ! I don't know the protocol of a President swearing in........ but would'nt you think the office of an Irish President would require one to be an Irish citizen?? and by the way---------I have a son named Patrick and a daughter named Erin, ...children of an Ulster Prod.