A United Ireland

[poppiesallykatie]

Not a goady thread or to stir, but how many are against it or for it? Obviously many in NI want to part of the Republic, many in NI want to part of Great Britain, how do the British people feel about it?

Do you not think that threads like this one show how ill informed (at least a section of) the British public are.

Not everyone can be informed on everything - and a lack of knowledge is nothing to be ashamed of (is it just me that heard Adam Ant there ) ...

except

when there are facts and knowledge at your fingers, and instead of reading and learning, people continue to choose to be ignorant. Then it's not only shameful, but sinful (in my universe).

Would Northern Ireland retain free healthcare?

Would Northern Ireland retain free healthcare?

In the case of an agreed unification, I'd guess everything is up for grabs, and nothing is decided until it's all decided

I would be more interesting in the status of NI citizens at the time of a hypothetical (re)Union. Would they continue to be UK citizens ? And if so, what of their children ? And their childrens children ? Also, how would the status of Irish citizens change with respect to the UK ?

Not really sure why anyone would waste a moments thought on the finer details. After all, once the people have spoken, it has to happen, obviously. Anything else is Project Fear. Or should that be Project Fáil ?

Catholic culture in a lot of NI is almost identical to the Republic. I grew up in NI in a non-Republican family. My brothers played in the local GAA minor side. I listened to Gerry Ryan everyday in the school holidays and watched Zig and Zag and the Late Late Toy Show. Yes, we watched the BBC as well, but did both. Rural culture is very similar in both places.

Shepherdspie

Would it ever be the case that the UK offered the Unionists to come to the mainland UK as residents

That is how people came to Ireland in the first place. Free land for loyal protestant subjects.

But after 400 years people kind of settle down.

alec but in what was does that 'cultural difference' manifest itself in a day to day way?

A banal one off the top of my head - the majority of shops in ROI are open Saturday and Sunday as normal trading hours, in NI none open on a Sunday morning - this would be the protestant influence.

Miljah - imagine if you were living on one side of border where all the important decisions effecting the economy, education, health etc etc etc were taken by women. While on the other side of the border those decisions were taken by men. That would mean that the cultures expereinced by women either side of that border - the day to day lives - would be different.

In Northern Ireland, for a very long time, all the positions of power were assumed by Protestants. For example, the Protestant politicians controlled the supply and allocation of public (council) housing and it was deliberately engineered in such a way to keep the Catholic voters in particular constituencies. Not only that, only the man and the wife had the vote so any other adults living in the property were not eligible to vote. The housing issue was one of the main causes of the civil rights movement in the 60s.

Protestants also made up a disproportionately amount of the professional classes, doctors, lawyers, civl servants etc while Catholics were disproportionately in low skilled occupations.

What that means is that Catholics in the north were, relatively, more likely to live in poverty, were less well educated and generally discriminated against compared to their Catholic counterparts in the south. A lot of this has changed but the memories last for a long time.

My children are middle class... whereas I will always be working class...

Rural culture is very similar in both places.
The city too, DP grew up in west Belfast and I grew up in Dublin and Monahan depending on the season. We grew up with lots in common.
He got to hang with soldier's and look at guns but otherwise we have very similar childhoods.
When I go to NI it is very nostalgic. People ask how are you? And actually listen for the answer.

I'm also from ROI and at one point would have nostalgically wanted a united Ireland, these days; NO WAY.

Financially we can't afford it and culturally we're too different. In ROI we're much more progressive and liberal, the thoughts of having to deal with Unionists and their shite scares the crap out of me!

And also OP @poppiesallykatie you didn't care to think about what us in ROI think of it all? Typical British ignorance being displayed there, assuming we'd be delighted to have them foisted upon us.

The best solution for Northern Ireland is to form their own country. Can't see it happening anytime soon though.

Problem is that most ni jobs are supported by government institutions for employment.

As it stands the ROI could not afford to take on NI or deal with their basket case politicians. The only idea I’ve come across in how a United Ireland could work would be to unify but keep NI as a devolved state and support it with funding from the EU. NI already receives a lot of EU funding and will lose it soon, It will be interesting to see how the U.K. government plans to fills this gap never mind the issues with the border.

I wonder how many English posters here know how different recruitment and HR is in NI ? Which is a good example of how different NI is to the rest of the UK.

It will be interesting to see how the U.K. government plans to fills this gap never mind the issues with the border.

I'm sure when they've worked it out, we'll know ....

*I'm also from ROI and at one point would have nostalgically wanted a united Ireland, these days; NO WAY.

Financially we can't afford it and culturally we're too different. In ROI we're much more progressive and liberal, the thoughts of having to deal with Unionists and their shite scares the crap out of me!*

I was gonna comment and then discovered Twixes apparently IS me, so I'll just nod vigorously along with what they said.

I can't imagine taking half a million people on, half of which don't like us. Good god!

Haha @ElspethFlashman I'd say we're not the only ones who feel the same

In ROI we're much more progressive and liberal,

I have to say, if I'd been off-planet for 20 years, and returned, I'd wonder where the Ireland I heard about in the 1970s went .

I think a better way of expressing it, is you seem to trust the people ?

Eye whisper, respectfully I strongly disagree. As someone from ROI who has married a non-republican familyed catholic man from Belfast, I can tell you the culture in NI is extremely different to ROI. The humour, discussion points and way of discussion, beliefs and way of thinking. Fashion and make up, food and flavours...so many things. Sometimes subtly, sometime overtly different. But a very different culture. My DH and his family would vehemently disagree and think they are exactly like people in the South. They aren’t. Not better or worse, but I’m clear I’m in a different country here. And I love it here and am proud for my kids to be Northern Irish.

AuntiePat, the key word there is Belfast. I grew up less than 5 miles from the Monaghan border, and yes there are some differences, but not huge. And no bigger than the differences between Dublin and Donegal which are also huge.

Anyway, we understand the reluctance to take on the DUP. Can you imagine how we feel? My Granda was 20 when partition happened. Bad luck to being on the wrong side of the fence, but he didn’t stop being Irish.

I am glad though that Varadkar and Coveney are in charge, as it seems like many here from the ROI would be OK with a hard border.

I don't think any here from ROI have discussed a hard border have they? Saying you don't want NI and ROI to merge is not the same thing.

Would it ever be the case that the UK offered the Unionists to come to the mainland UK as residents

Where are you going to put them? How do you think that's going to go down with the brexit folks?

I don't think any here from ROI have discussed a hard border have they?

As I've heard a few Irish people say ... that would be the British border then ?

Maybe I misninterepted but I am hearing a lot of - not our problem, nothing to do with us and not willing to put ourselves out to help.

Varadkar has gone out on a limb and promised he would not let NI nationalists down and that means a lot.

Where are you going to put them? How do you think that's going to go down with the brexit folks?

Well if it's because of the Brexit they so desperately wanted, then they can jolly well work it out.

Don't care enough to read the thread. In general mildly opposed to the UK getting smaller, but recognise Scotland has the right to leave, and would secretly be quite pleased if NI became part of ROI, as that would make both politics and maps much tidier.