Recently, there has been much change in Northern Ireland. Although the police force in the North remains over 95% Protestant, Catholics have been making progress in ending some discrimination. For the first time a Catholic pro republican has been elected the mayor of Belfast. This would have been unthinkable in the past. Sinn Fein which is the political party associated with the IRA has been officially recognized as a legitimate party and has been making rapid advancements in the elections.
Unfortunately, the Protestants have allowed themselves to be manifested into an odd little dichotomy of Irish society. If this course continues they may very well find themselves a people without support or a country. Mainstream British society does not understand or embrace them. In many ways they feel that they have gone off the deep end. Although, the Protestants refer to themselves as "Unionists" they are often at odds with the British on many issues including politics.
The clock seems to be ticking for the Loyalists in Northern Ireland. The Catholic population has been increasing while the Protestant population has been falling. For years the British government has appeared to be looking for ways to gradually and gracefully ease out of Northern Ireland. Many British citizens look at the whole situation in the North with disgust and would rather not be involved. Those who are pushing for Northern Ireland to become an independent free state seem to be gaining some momentum. If the North would become a free state it would be difficult if impossible for it to survive on it's own. Therefore, there is speculation that the creation of a free state would be nothing more than an interim period before Northern Ireland would be united with the Republic.
