Catholics may soon have the numbers in N Ireland (those fecund breeders!)

The Guardian via SMH ^ | December 18 2002 | Rosie Cowan in Belfast

[dead]

It's bad news for the Protestants. Census figures due out tomorrow could show that for the first time in the 81-year history of Northern Ireland they are in the minority. And what's worse, those fecund Catholics are younger and breeding faster.

The dawning realisation has prompted one Ulster Unionist MP to declare that Protestants should be allowed to veto a united Ireland, even if Catholic voters become the majority.

Forcing Unionists to join the republic would cause political instability which would be in no one's interest, Jeffrey Donaldson said on Monday.

But even if the census results do show a Catholic majority, the youth of the Catholic population compared to the ageing Protestant community means it could be at least 20 years before the rise in the number of Catholics translates into a voting majority.

At the same time, the simple equation of Catholicism with Irish nationalism does not take account of how many Catholics might vote to remain with Britain or Protestants to leave it.

But Thursday's revelations will be pored over and debated by politicians.

Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein's minister of education, has said his party would hold the British Government to its promise of a united Ireland, if the majority votes for it in a referendum. Another spokesman said the Unionists faced a challenge in accepting the democratically expressed will of the people and encouraging a peaceful transition.

But Mr Donaldson argued that because the suspended Stormont assembly requires separate majorities of Unionists and nationalists to pass legislation, the dual consent principle should apply to any vote on a united Ireland.

He insisted the Unionist population would not be eclipsed in the near future, but warned: "It's not in anyone's interests to force Unionists into a united Ireland.

"It would be a recipe for great instability and constitutional disaster."

Since Northern Ireland's formation in 1921, the Protestant descendants of Scottish and English planters, concentrated in the six counties to the north-east of Ireland, accounted for two-thirds of the population.

Catholics made up the other third, giving unionists a seemingly in-built majority and leading to domination and discrimination which reinforced Catholics' feelings that they were second-class citizens.

But now a mix of factors, including underestimation of Catholic numbers because of the nationalists' refusal to co-operate with previous surveys, has led some statisticians to believe that the Catholic population could be anywhere from 40 per cent to 45 per cent and Protestants somewhere between 47 per cent and 51 per cent, with other religions and the non-religious making up the rest.

Four of Northern Ireland's five cities, Belfast, Derry, Armagh and Newry, now have Catholic majorities. Only Lisburn does not. Last year there were 173,000 Catholic schoolchildren, 146,000 Protestants and 22,000 others.

[Polycarp]

cool

[IMRight]

Forcing Unionists to join the republic would cause political instability...

And what they have now is???

[joesnuffy]

An Irishman had been drinking at a pub all night. The
bartender finally said that the bar is closing. So the Irishman
stood up to leave and fell flat on his face. He tried to stand
one more time; same result. He figured he'll crawl outside and
get some fresh air and maybe that will sober him up.

Once outside he stood up and fell flat on his face. So he
decided to crawl the 4 blocks to his home. When he arrived
at the door he stood up and again fell flat on his face. He
crawled through the door and into his bedroom. When he
reached his bed he tried one more time to stand up. This
time he managed to pull himself upright, but he quickly fell
right into bed and is sound asleep as soon as his head hit the
pillow. He was awakened the next morning to his wife
standing over him, shouting, "So, you've been out drinking
again!!"
"What makes you say that?" he asked, putting on an
innocent look.
"The pub called. You left your wheelchair there again."

[nypokerface]

"He insisted the Unionist population would not be eclipsed in the near future, but warned: "It's not in anyone's interests to force Unionists into a united Ireland."

- Yet the Unionist don't mind forcing the Catholics to be part of the UK. Interesting.

[wideawake]

Once again, the smartest thing for Protestants in NI to do would be to join the Republic.

This is true for 3 reasons.

(1) Right now, they are perceived as an annoying, tax-eating minority in the UK. They have next to no representation in the UK government, since they constitute about 1.25% of the UK population.

In a united Ireland, where the tiny Protestant minority is treated quite well and is quite prosperous, they would become a 20% minority with substantial representation in the Dail. They would, ironically, have more control over their destiny than they would as part of the UK.

(2) The only reason for the IRA, that vicious pack of commie terrorist filth, to exist is the continued separation of NI from the rest of ireland.

In a united Ireland the Irish population, already disgusted by their behavior, would give up any residual support these criminals may still have. And if the Protestants negotiated an annexation directly with Dublin, demanding as a condition that the IRA be excluded from the negotiations, the IRA would be completely marginalized.

In a deterrorized, demilitarized NI the economy would skyrocket - and increased prosperity increases the resolve of the prosperous to maintain their prosperity.

[bert]

...those fecund Catholics are younger and breeding faster...

Think Latin America..... its here now, same diabolical operation

[wideawake]

The last paragraph of post 6 is reason #3.

[Wallace T.]

There is a lesson to be learned here by white Americans. Within 80 years, Northern Ireland went from two-thirds to one-half Protestant. In another 20 years, Northern Ireland will likely become a part of the Irish Republic. (Although if both Ireland and Britain persist in remaining in the European Union, the transfer of Northern Ireland to Eire will be about as significant as the transfer of, say, Lea County, New Mexico, to Texas.) Could this scene be repeated in California and New Mexico in 2020, and Arizona and Texas in 2035?

White Americans may, like the Irish Protestants, soon find themselves in a minority in the very land they "stole fair and square" (to paraphrase S. I. Hayakawa) from the natives centuries earlier. Unlike the Irish Protestants or the British South Africans, we do not have an ancestral homeland willing to take us back. We will become like the Boers, too far removed from our European roots to claim a homeland across the Atlantic.

[Aquinasfan]

Think Latin America..... its here now, same diabolical operation

Hmm... Births are a terrible thing? Let me guess, are you pro-abortion?

[Desdemona]

ping

[wideawake]

same diabolical operation

Having a family is a diabolical operation?

I presume abortion and homosexuality are divine, then, according to your standards.

[Petronski]

And what's worse, those fecund Catholics are younger and breeding faster.

This Rosie Cowan sounds like a real witch.

[Cicero]

Paddy called the doctor to his cottage at midnight for the birth of his twelfth child.

"Paddy," the doctor said, "Will you hold this lantern whilst I deliver the baby?"

"Of course, doctor."

All went well, and soon the doctor held up a fine, red, squalling new baby boy.

"Faith and begorra, Doctor," Paddy said, as he looked at his twelfth child. "I've just had a thought. Do you suppose it's the light that's attracting them?"

[Petronski]

I thought this might be some interest to some of you "fecund Catholic breeders."

[Prodigal Son]

That's an interesting take. The thing I find intriguing is why should the Catholics in NI be having more children than the Protestants?

[ArrogantBustard]

..those fecund Catholics are younger and breeding faster...
Think Latin America..... its here now, same diabolical operation

I'm not sure who or what you're calling diabolical... If you mean "Catholics (of whatever nationality) are diabolical", you can piss off.

You're also leaving out that Americans (of almost any ethnic origin) and western Europeans (at least) are aborting, contracepting, and buggering themselves out of existence. Meanwhile, the mohammedans are certainly acting the part of "those fecund breeders".

[wideawake]

We will become like the Boers, too far removed from our European roots to claim a homeland across the Atlantic.

In 50 years there will be no white homeland across the Atlantic or anywhere else.

All the anti-Catholic bigots can rage and rave against Irish Catholics - apparently the only white people anywhere who bother to reproduce themselves - but they ignore the truly significant statistic.

51% of the schoolchildren are Catholic and 43% Protestant.

But 6% are "other". Aye, Begorrah, and the top of the Eid to ye!

[Desdemona]

...and they wonder why they're outnumbered....

[BlueLancer]

Every Sperm is Sacred

There are Jews in the world.
There are Buddhists.
There are Hindus and Mormons, and then
There are those that follow Mohammed, but
I've never been one of them.
I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is:
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six-footer.
You don't have to have a great brain.
You don't have to have any clothes on. You're
A Catholic the moment Dad came,

Because

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Let the heathen spill theirs
On the dusty ground.
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

Every sperm is wanted.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

Hindu, Taoist, Mormon,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is useful.
Every sperm is fine.
God needs everybody's.
Mine! And mine! And mine!

Let the Pagan spill theirs
O'er mountain, hill, and plain.
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is good.
Every sperm is needed
In your neighbourhood.

Every sperm is sacred.
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite iraaaaate!