to ask how you’re preparing for Brexit?

[CircleSquareCircleSquare]

There is so much uncertainty surrounding what will happen with trade deals and goodness knows what else, that I’m starting to wonder about making some sensible plans.

We have put a stop to some planned works we wanted to do to our house, we have downsized to one car and we grow a small amount of veg. We keep some stocks of food in the house but we have a large family so I never feel like we’d have enough.
We have discussed not taking a holiday this summer and DH is taking every training course possible at work in order to diversify his skills should his industry go tits up.

I’m wondering what decisions you’re making in your homes for what could possibly be a really uncertain time for a few years.

The solution I favour is to prevent a hard border by offering NI back in it’s entirety to Dublin and the Republic. Nobody wants that shitshow and money pit on their books and Dublin would pretty soon start talking if we did that. And the nationalists couldn’t blame anyone but Dublin. Sorted.

Wtaf.

A bit of education on the history of NI and the Troubles would have come in very handy on this point.

Sorted? No, war.

Wow you really hate the NI that much? Do you even realise that idea could result in huge loss of life?!

The solution I favour is to prevent a hard border by offering NI back in it’s entirety to Dublin and the Republic. Nobody wants that shitshow and money pit on their books and Dublin would pretty soon start talking if we did that. And the nationalists couldn’t blame anyone but Dublin. Sorted.

Sorted?

Slight flaw in your genius plan is that there would need to be a referendum on reunification. It's not a simple matter of tossing it back to Dublin.

Sorted.

Brexiters and their cavalier fucking attitude.

By the way, none of these proposed “solutions” to the Irish border issue are workable.

“Offer NI back to the Republic”?! Half the population of Northern Ireland identifies as British, not Irish, which is why Northern Ireland was created in the first place.

Leave it up to RoI and UK to sort it out without the EU’s interference? Great, except that the RoI is in the EU, so if there is no hard border the UK can’t control its borders and stop Romanians coming in, and the EU can’t stop chlorinated chickens or shitty food full of banned ingredients coming in.

Not only a referendum but Unionists/Loyalists would have to want to join Dublin and submit to being a Protestant minority in a Catholic country. They don’t in the majority.

Wow you really hate the NI that much? Do you even realise that idea could result in huge loss of life?!

They could not care less.

^Elton’s plan is a fast track to resurgence of civil war.

Not only a referendum but Unionists/Loyalists would have to want to join Dublin and submit to being a Protestant minority in a Catholic country. They don’t in the majority.

Well no, so the referendum result would most likely be 'no, we're staying thanks all the same'. And let's not assume every NI Catholic yearns to be part of a united Ireland either.

Elton two of my family work in construction, neither wanted to leave the EU, they felt that construction does best in stable economic times when the long term outlook is seen to be good

Good point. Another issue is that the construction industry relies on EU workers who make up around 8% of the workforce. The industry is concerned about the impact of losing up to 175,000 EU workers without the SM/FOM leading to a skills/manpower drought.

Incidentally, re the NI border. The solution I favour is to prevent a hard border by offering NI back in it’s entirety to Dublin and the Republic. Nobody wants that shitshow and money pit on their books and Dublin would pretty soon start talking if we did that. And the nationalists couldn’t blame anyone but Dublin. Sorted.

@Eltonjohnssyrup

Your thoughts on this show you for the xenophobic that you are.

Your 'solution' would result in another election for a start.

Well LoveIn - glad you can finally come off your all-knowing perch - because it had become boring. For a start without FOM and with 'controlled' immigration it will be easier for Government and Councils to be able to plan ahead (with some degree of certainty) for public services. There will be a better idea of the provision of eg: schools, health and social care that will be required to meet need.

Does that make me an ignorant racist that saw a bus and thought I know, I'll vote to Leave.

A bit of education on the history of NI and the Troubles would have come in very handy on this point.

I’ve done extensive academic research on it actually as well as being married into an astoundingly Republican Irish family (some of whom are a bit famous). I can pretty much guarantee I know much more about it than you.

The point is Dublin and the EU are being intractable and basically using the threat of the IRA starting bombing again as a bargaining chip. Because the IRA want to be part of a whole Republic of Ireland.

If we actually offered back NI, Dublin would not be able to accept, because it is a huge drain on finances and resources and their economy isn’t great. So I think if that was done (or even threatened behind the scenes) Dublin would start becoming a lot more aggreable to finding a working border solution which keeps the Good Friday Agreement in place.

Because after all, the Republic’s official position remains that want a United Ireland. So do the Nationalists. The Unionists might not like it, but it’s Ireland who’ll have a war with the Unionists on their hands. And they couldn’t complain, because we would have done EXACTLY what they wanted.

Which is exactly why if we threaten to do that they’ll suddenly become a lot more keen on keeping the GFA in place.

And let's not assume every NI Catholic yearns to be part of a united Ireland either.

Absolutely not. There are many problems inherent in unification.

Better able to plan for public services (in theory - planning doesn’t appear appear to be this government’s strong point), but less able to pay for them.

You can't just go around handing bits of your country to other countries without the consent of the people living there. Particulary not if there is a long and violent history. Leaving aside the fact that this is assuming that Dublin would want it and I can't imagine any country agreeing to accept land under those circumstances. If you gave away their country It would seem possible that unionist violence might transfer to the UK mainland, both sides have killed you understand.

Oh piss off Elendon. I hate the Irish that much I’be given birth to three of them and married another one.

I don’t know why remainers think it’s fine to dangle the threat of bombing by the IRA over the UK but apparently to point out there is a perfectly logical and appropriate bargaining position for the UK is ‘xenophobic’. What a crock of shit.

It’s what the Republicans WANT. Fine. There you go. Your problem now.

Elton, the British citizens who live in Northern Ireland are very much OUR “problem”. By which I mean they are our responsibility.

And for all that ‘academic research’ and knowledge you’ve come up with a plan that is totally unworkable and actively incendiary. Congrats.

Whaf Dublin would accept is the least of it, frankly.

As a few of the previous posters have already mentioned, I was forced out by the influx of Eastern European migrants. Both firms I subcontracted to, went bust. The agencies were paying absolute peanuts yet expecting qualified tradesmen with van, tools etc etc to travel and work weekends on a hourly basis that was piss poor.
The migrants had huge help, no mortgages, it was clear they could undercut British workers. As a result I came out of construction as did a lot of other trades. Six years on I still get weekly messages and calls from agencies asking me to reconsider. No ta, I'm completely self sufficient in property repairs, don't need no one. So these days I turn everyone down whether it's family, friends or work colleagues.
I'll just plod on.
BTW I worked with the polish guys on s few jobs, I can tell you they are the last to arrive and the first ready to leave and are absolutely bone idle.

"They could not care less." Clearly!

Do they even care about the BRITISH armed forces personnel over there I wonder? Because they'd be among the first targets!!

If that were true Elton (re your claimed knowledge) you'd know it's FAR more complicated than that and it's NOT just the IRA that are the problem!

As for using the threat to 'make Dublin play ball' that's people's lives LITERALLY you'd be fucking with!

The Unionists might not like it, but it’s Ireland who’ll have a war with the Unionists on their hands. And they couldn’t complain, because we would have done EXACTLY what they wanted.

Christ alive. The only way the UK can 'offer' NI to Dublin is by tearing up the GFA. You are off your tiny little rocker if you think this is some canny solution. Or if anyone aside from your fellow fever brained Brexiters would lay any blame at Dublin's door for the shitstorm that would ensue.

The border issues were spelt out clearly ahead of the referendum so all this tantrumming from Brexiters about how Ireland and the EU are being intractable is just more Brexit bullshit.

to point out there is a perfectly logical and appropriate bargaining position for the UK

Your tortuous and tautological statement is rubbish.

Must do better. See me after class.

@Eltonjohnssyrup

It’s not just bombing by the IRA - it’s all paramilitaries including Loyalists - surely a Republican family would know that of all people.

It’s not a bargaining position anyway, it’s an embarrassment Elton.

more boring empty headed Brexiter nonsense. Refusing to engage with a single issue. So boring.

It's daft to engage with rants & tantrums, which is why most leave voters (and I'm sure most remain voters too) look at threads like this in bafflement.

LoveIn - that is just a puff of an answer. Being critical of 'politicians' as the entirety og govt does go to show that your sphere and range of expertise is very limited indeed. There are tens of thousands of very qualified and able people who work behind the scenes that are very good at planning.