How to Change a Mind Set Ever since the partition of Ulster in 1921, where the counties of Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal were wrenched away, and became the occupied three counties by the Irish free state, and then later by the Republic of Ireland. There has been a concerted effort to detach Ulster folk away from their Ulster identity. It is said if you take away someone's identity, they will latch themselves onto someone else's. Here is a pattern for you to consider: Before the partition of Ulster we called ourselves Ulster folk. Over 500,000 people signed the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant, and the Ulster Volunteer Force was established to fight against Irish home rule ECT. However since the creation of the state of Northern Ireland, the steady erosion of our Ulsterness and the promotion and assimilation of the Ulster Protestant to adopt and embrace an Irish identity had begun. Just study what happened to those Protestants we left behind in the occupied three counties. Also in our own wee country we have witnessed this on slot to this very day!! Back in 1969, when the republican movement started its sectarian campaign to destabilise the state of Northern Ireland, leading to the first thing Ulster to fall. This was the Ulster Special Constabulary (B specials) in 1969. Then in 1973 the flag that had been flown to represent the Ulster people, the (Ulster Banner) was abolished. Then the Ulster Defence Regiment was merged into the Royal Irish Regiment, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary became the Police Service of ‘yes you've guest it’ Northern Ireland!!! Also Ulster television now appears to have ceased to use the Ulster, and now refers to itself as UTV. Even the weather, news and television in general have dropped the Northern and now just refer to N Ireland or Ireland. Just think back to when the Ulster rugby team won the European championship back in the late 1990’s, and how the stands were a wash with Ulster banners. Now it seems that there has been a definitive move by the powers that be, within Irish rugby, to remove the Ulster banner and replace it with a yellow flag with a red cross, or one with the crest of the team. Now some seventeen years on we can see the same thing happening to our national football team, where again the Ulster banner is being slowly fazed out, and a green flag with the crest of the team is now being promoted. It almost seems like there is a media blackout or some form of censorship on showing the Ulster banner, or anyone holding or waving it. Even the sporting commentators at the BBC and ITV during the 2016 Euros, referred to the Northern Ireland team and their fans as IRISH, and not Ulster men as they had done in previous tournaments and competitions. It’s like the old adage, if you tell someone something for long enough, they’ll start to believe it! Do you remember what I said earlier? It is said if you take away someone's identity they will latch onto someone else's. Well if you stop the Ulster Protestants from seeing themselves as an independent and proud nation, and assimilate them through stealth, into adopting an Irish identity. Then when it comes to the ultimate with drawl of our fellow British from the last free six counties, what a codetta that would be for an Irish administration, as those living in Northern Ireland would have already relinquished their Ulster heritage and identity, and would now consider themselves to be IRISH!!! Once this has occurred the then inevitable hand over, would then replicate that which took place on the 1 July 1997 in Hong Kong. We all can remember the sombre images of the Chinese forces rolling into Hong Kong without anyone of its citizens batting an eye lid or a shot being fired.

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Mervyn Henry, Poyntz Pass, Ulster.