Among the many questions I've had wandering in the back of my mind for some time now is how unified the people of Britain and Northern Ireland really are. Obviously there's at least some resentment and bad feelings in Ulster and Scotland (Wales as well? I honestly have no idea); that goes without saying.

But how deep do these feelings go, and what's their true motivation behind them? Do the Catholics in Belfast and the Scots truly hate being subjects of the Queen and long for nothing more (or less) than their independence, or is it more of a simple & habitual dislike/disdain born from centuries of London government? And in either case, what's the real source of their attitudes & emotions -- that their ancestors came under British rule (however long ago), or more how the government treats them today?

And just as importantly, how do the English feel about all this? For some reason, it seems like almost no one ever solicits their opinion on the matter (perhaps because some consider them descendants of the "oppressors"?).


I'm honestly curious about this.

Reply