Are you pro-Union or just anti-Irish, are you pro-Irish or just anti-British? These are questions that I often assess from those who participate in debates and discussions.
When there is an analysis of whether it is better to be an integral part of the United Kingdom or in an all Ireland state, my opinion is absolutely clear and I would argue that any rational assessment would come out in favour of being part of the union of the United Kingdom.
There are many constructive debates that could be made, and while the Republic of Ireland economy has flourished on occasions, when part of the United Kingdom you are part of the fifth largest economy in the world, which has been one of the main net financial contributors to the EU since joining, a significant influencer throughout the world and a society that is a leader in freedom of democracy, then the decision to wish to remain part of the United Kingdom is clear.
I fully accept that others will take a different viewpoint and attitude, that is their right to do so, provided they carry that out through their discussions, debates and pressure groups, but not in the violence that has been so destructive for the community and individual families. 
Many Irish people have taken the decision themselves in the past, irrespective of how wedded they may feel to the Republic of Ireland. It is estimated that as many as six million people living in the UK have an Irish-born grandparent (around 10 per cent of the UK population). The 2001 UK Census states that 869,093 people born in Ireland are living in Great Britain, and I’m sure it has significantly increased in the last 17 years. 
This demonstrates that many Irish recognise the greater opportunities and benefits of being part of the United Kingdom as opposed to remaining solely part of the Republic of Ireland. Of course it is not just those from the Republic of Ireland who see a better future within the UK, but millions of people from various parts of the world recognise the same opportunities.
That is one reason why I have always suggested that Ireland in its entirety would have been a much stronger entity if it had remained as part of the United Kingdom. 
This has again been highlighted in recent years with the economic downturn. A total of £3.2 billion was lent by the UK to the Republic as part of an international rescue package of the State’s collapsing economy. The loan was made at the same time as a bailout by the European Commission, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank and at a time when the country’s banking system threatened to implode.
It has often been suggested that the debate between Irish Nationalism and UK Unionism is a religious breakdown, indeed figures would suggest that has sometimes been the situation. 
I suggest that much of the backing for Irish Nationalism down the years, decades and centuries has been an aggression of anti-Britishness as opposed to any view that Irish nationalism is a better prospect for the people. 
Sadly many, some through violence have taken a stance of opposing everything and everyone that has a sense of Britishness. Hopefully that will change. 
Given that many have indeed taken individual decisions to make their life within the UK as opposed to remaining within the Republic of Ireland there is a growing realisation that the union with the United Kingdom serves the people much better than the romantic dream of an all Ireland state. 
We should remind ourselves of why we are pro-Union, or indeed pro-Irish, instead of the reasons just being that you oppose the opposite tradition.