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?

Funnily enough, was chatting about this last night with some friends ... we were curious as to whether unification would be used to wipe the slate clean for UK government and other possible crimes during the Troubles. ? With the excuse "it was a different country then."

Snowman - what was the Plantation though if not colonisation?

My parents are from the Republic & all my aunties & cousins, etc are still there so I go a lot. Not one of them wants a united Ireland largely for economic reasons. It always bemuses me when you see people say oh the ROI will just take NI back, there is an awful lot of ignorance when it comes to Ireland.

I'm from ROI so not who were asking but I would strongly be against NI joining the ROI as would a lot of people I know

Ditto. And I don't know anyone apart from those who would have been IRA supports and have romantic notions about a united Ireland who would say otherwise.

The British ignorance of their own history is shocking.

My Irish Mum always said that in theory unification sounded like what she wanted but the reality of the huge cost and an understandably reluctant minority made it a more complicated proposition.
She voted Remain shortly before she died.

From ROI to echo Ian Paisley No,no,no
Absolutely not . I really hope this doesnt gain legs. Like wtf. Health care is a diasaster down South. Way more expensive too. The population of NI would regret it big time !!

Lol at the dowry word ☺☺

NI is part of the UK. It was part of the UK when brexit votes were being cast. Thousands of Irish people in NI is a UK made problem. I think it was pallisers who posted about NI voting yes only for ROI to reject them.

Chickens are coming home to roost.

They also are angry that active members of the IRA were given "get out of jail free" deals instead of being brought to justice for the murders committed by them in GB and elsewhere

I am not a symathiser but the IRA was a product of British behaviour on the island of Ireland so there are criminals on both sides who didn't serve time for their crimes, not just the ones who actually went to jail.

dowry . It would want to be one hell of a dowry. Perhaps we could have the United Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Foreigner in the UK here can someone please explain why are Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland split? Googleed answered seem a bit confusing, can someone explain simply?

Euamoonatal Completely agree.

@Tellem2 they didn't split.

I think it was pallisers who posted about NI voting yes only for ROI to reject them.

Chickens are coming home to roost.o

I don't understand what that means. How has RoI rejected the North? We have to walk on fucking eggshells because Unionists take offence at everything. If the Irish government even hinted that there'd be a welcome for the North to join with us there'd be DUPers taking ancient guns down from the rafters to defend the border. You're not dealing with reasonable people. The triumphalism of the marching season is a good indication of the mindset.

@bellinisurge so why was there fighting over the years. Basically I'm asking why is the Good Friday Agreement in place to begin with.

@Tellem2

Basically the whole of ireland was part of the UK
Most Irish people were unhappy
There was a war of independence
It was agreed that Ireland would be split into the Republic of Ireland compromising 26 counties and Northern Ireland compromising six counties

Northern Ireland was mainly protestant and this was the reason for it being separate and remaining part of the UK

In the late 60s Catholics in Northern Ireland being discriminated against and there was an uprising of sorts in terms of a civil rights movement and then there was what is the now called "the troubles" which lasted many years and was essentially a gorilla/terrorists style war.
The Good Friday agreement brought that to an end and Northern Ireland has had relative peace and stability for the past 20 or so years.

This is a really interesting thread, I am following.

You do understand that NI thought it was an integral part of the UK ? Would you discard Sussex or Wales or Yorkshire if they became a problem?

There is a move for an independent Yorkshire.

I think the problem is the UK government, not many cabinet ministers know much about life outside London.

The latest NI minister is, well, a public statement saying, "I didn't know people voted on sectarian lines" says a lot. Just how ignorant do you have to be?

The people of NI are not really represented in the UK Parliament as many MPs do not take their seats. Many parties in NI have no policies on things those of us in the rest of the UK take for granted.

The Isle of Man isn't in the EU but is in the customs union, although the position will change with Brexit it could still be a model used in NI.

The Isle of man has its own identity, culture, language and parliament, and so does NI.

OK understood, thank you @WipsGlitter

ROI would be mad to take on the money pit that is NI and the hassle with the unionists. If it went to a vote. I mean its very telling that prominent unionists applied for Irish passports post brexit vote. This is what the UK wanted. They can't just ignore the problems they created. Or send the army in.

Brexit's just highlighting the fact that the UK like's to try and forget the mess they created in NI and that the average person in the UK doesn't care or know a lot about that section of the union.

Too true.

I think they’re quite happy to be separate from the UK when it comes to retaining bigoted laws on abortion and gay marriage. I don’t think it’s at all fair that some British citizens can’t access abortion or get married because of where they happen to live.

I would support NI to stay with the UK or join with the Republic of Ireland, whichever was the majority view in NI, since that’s their decision (and the Republic if NI want to join them)

pallisers

Northern Ireland is very different from other colonies. For one, it doesn't consider itself a colony. for another the colonisation is more than 800 years old.

Oh come on! The plantation of Ulster was just a land grab, and it certainly wasn't 800 years ago. The Irish didn't just handily disappear, you know, any more than Native Americans did.

Canibuildasnowman
Just read the comment about N..I. being a colony! Brilliant. You should pop over and bandy that thoughtbabout and see where it gets you!

Because you don't recognise that it's a colony you think the rest of us shouldn't either Planters moved in and moved the natives off their land, turned the natives into objects of hatred and contempt, but that's completely different to how a colony is formed.

I would like to see it, as a said on a previous thread, the Irish health service is horrendous, most public health services are costly. 100e for a&e. 60e GP visit. 100 per night bed charge if in patients max charge 10 nights per year. Very little disability services but other than health. Yes it would be great to reunite. I have family and friends in NI mainly nationalists they are very word.
After the contempt the UK has shown towards NI they don't deserve it but look at the amount of blood shed to keep it. I can't see many dedicated loyalists been happy even considering it.

Frankexchangeofviews.....shame has nothing to do with it.
Its just common sense not to unifiy the north and roi at this point in time. Reunification can only happen if the majority's want it on all sides and that will not happen anytime soon.

But the decision for ROI seems obvious (ie no reunion with the north)It comes down to self preservation and not wanting to bring on a civil war and economic ruin to our stable country for the sake of nationalism and because the Uk doesnt give a damn about NI.

The north is not a stable territory/country.
it has not held a government for over a year,runs segregated schools(thankfully less then the past..baby steps)and theres still ongoing tensions that are always just at a tipping point..not to mention its an economic mess.None of those issues are easily fixed.Theres centuries of divisions there and the troubles are barely a generation ago.

However its the northern irish themselves who need to rebuild their region and take the steps towards stability. The political madness of the 2 extremes needs to change and other alternatives need a chance to represent the more moderate sections of society,the ongoing segregation via religion needs to stop and the kids growing up in the region need to integrate...its harder to demonise the opposite side when you have to interact...and the people who live in that region need to figure out how to live side by side as neither Irish or British but as Northern Irish.

Clearly the british dont consider the ni british given the border fiasco atm and the Irish states have been seperated for to long with to much history and change in both regions to simply unify and become a Ireland united at this point. Until the region learns to coexist and manage itself it shouldnt aggravated by outside forces....but the region simple isnt just one of the other..irish or british...its both and neither at the moment.

Reunification is likely to kick off civil war in northern Ireland as the unionists wont want to be "Irish" or be happy with the decision. A hard border will set off the nationalists as its the opposite of what the gfa represents.

Both of those situs means unrest and possible civil war for the region... who in their right mind would want that? No matter what choice is made at this point people will lose.

The gfa isnt perfect but its worked well for the last 20 years. It has created the semblence of stability in the north amd over time keeping those rules may allow the region to actually develop as its own entity. The people of the ROI didnt vote to change it.The majority of people in NI didnt vote to change it.

The uk needs to reconsider their options about brexit and stop trying to palm off all their issues. Maybe if they had actually tried harder to stabilise and improve the region a union would be possible and they would be rid of the issue of the north. But that hasnt happened and now its being used as a political play piece as well with no concern for the citizens whos lives are going to be affected no matter what choice is taken.