To think most people in the UK don't really care about NI

[Tooldemont]

Just that really, we don't seem to be a together nation and many people I know would just prefer Ireland to become one country on that landmass.

Maybe it's just my circles, but rings true here

Unionists in NI see themselves as British but they do also see themselves as Irish. They don’t deny that they live on the island of Ireland.

Demographic shifts and political turbulence are making a reunified Ireland more and more likely. Personally I would like to see it happen but it’s not really my business because I don’t live there.

When the people there choose it, it will happen. It will be a sore blow to the loyalist/unionist people but I think even many of them now can see why it should and probably will happen, so the reaction from them is less likely to be violent than it was 20 or even 10 years ago.

“I also strongly care about the people there with British heritage who want to remain British citizens.”

There’s no problem with people from Northern Ireland choosing to remain as British citizens if the wish once Ireland is reunified. People in NI now have the option of choosing Irish or UK citizenship and there’s no reason for that to change.

Ironically, many unionists in NI have applied for ROI passports because of Brexit. Unthinkable even a few years ago.

Showing your relevant youth, OP. Sounds like you’ve been lucky enough to have grown up in a post Good Friday environment. My father’s friend and colleague was blown up defusing an IRA bomb, so yes I care very much. I hope whatever happens with this Brexit shitshow that there’s no return to the troubles. I’m beyond disgusted with the government for putting everything that people died for at risk.

Yes, you're right, but there was a referendum later, in the 1930s, when the Six Counties voted to stay separate.

What? No there wasn’t.

NI is not going to unite to want unification with the republic,

I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in the next few years (and especially if we end up with a hard Brexit) there's more support for unification in NI. And I wouldn't be surprised if that led to calls for a poll on the matter, and the Good Friday agreement makes provision for that.

Iirc, there was a referendum in NI in the early 70s, and theproportion in favour of remaining in the UK was only in the 50s in percentage terms, so not huge. I bet it would be less now, and I bet it will fall further once the Brexit dust has settled.

The DUP propping up a minority government, and enabling something that the people of NI voted against would really piss me off if I lived in NI.

Mind you, it would be a brave NI Secretary that held such a referendum and my understanding is that under the terms of the GFA it's the Sec of State's decision.

You could certainly argue that NI is not British as British implies you are a citizen of Britain (although that would exclude the Scottish unless you defined British as a citizen of Great Britain)

What the actual fuck? How are the Scots not citizens of Britain as much as the English and Welsh?! The UK only came about thanks to the King of Scots inheriting the crown of England through Margaret Tudor thus uniting both kingdoms on the island of Great Britain. While I'd much prefer we were in the same situation as the RoI, Scots are still part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We are still resident on the island of Great Britain.

England does NOT equal Britain.

I’m beyond disgusted with the government for putting everything that people died for at risk.

Same here, Oriunda. I can remember Bloody Sunday, it was the year I left school. And I remember being appalled and sickened that an army could do that to its own people, and that the government felt that this was ok.

The escalation of the nationalist campaign on the mainland was kind of understandable after that. I'm not saying it was right, far from it, but I could understand it. God forbid that we should ever go back to those days.

People would need to think outside the box with regards to a United Ireland. A Federal States of Ireland where Unionists would feel their identity was being included rather than subsumed would be the way to go.

Patrick Kielty made an interesting NI doc a few months ago in which he interviewed Arlene Foster who was adamant she’d leave the island if a United Ireland came to pass. Which is fair enough!

YABU.

Yes, you're right, but there was a referendum later, in the 1930s, when the Six Counties voted to stay separate

What? No there wasn’t

There was actually, but it was 1973.

TooManyPaws I think the poster was making a distinction between Britain as in Grest Britain, the island and Britain the Roman British region...though since that still included southern Scotland for a period it's still not the most lucid point to make...

“The escalation of the nationalist campaign on the mainland was kind of understandable after that. I'm not saying it was right, far from it, but I could understand it. God forbid that we should ever go back to those days.“

Indeed. The escalation began in 1969 when catholics began to be terrorised, killed, maimed and persecuted by the Protestant majority. The British Army, sent as peace keepers, collided and actively joined in with the brutal repression of the catholic minority.

The cause at that time and for many years was legitimate, and Bloody Sunday strengthened the resolve understandably.

The IRA and INLA lost all legitimacy when it began to target civilians. Blowing up shopping centres decimated the cause and set back the prospect of a United ireland for many decades.

Yes, you're right, but there was a referendum later, in the 1930s, when the Six Counties voted to stay separate

This being the vote that was boycotted by Nationalists and had a turn out of about 58%. I find it hard to trust the outcome given the numbers, but certainly supports what people on this thread are saying : NI is very much part of the UK and its not as simple as "give it back" or "not my doorstep, not my problem so shut up about the backstop"

There was actually, but it was 1973.

Yeah, not in the 1930s, which is what I said. And the 1973 poll was boycotted by nationalists - only about 1% of them voted.

There was actually, but it was 1973

Yeah, not in the 1930s, which is what I said. And the 1973 poll was boycotted by nationalists - only about 1% of them voted

Sorry??? No you quite clearly stated 'no there wasn't'. You did not go on to clarify anything at all. And actually there was a 58.7% voter turnout.

And actually there was a 58.7% voter turnout.

Yes...though only approximately 1% of those votes were by Nationalists on account of the above mentioned boycott

Republican organisations killed twice as any people as Unionists.

^*Republican organisations don’t kill people. Republican terrorists do.

It is not Unionists that kill people, it is loyalist terrorists.

Loyalist terrorists have killed twice as many innocent civilians as The republican terrorists.

Both lots are murdering scum bags, as were some RUC and British soldiers.*^

Well put. What makes me despair in the Brexit debate is the fact that there is such ignorance about recent history! This was always going to be an insurmountable stumbling block to Brexit happening.

There was a wilful refusal on the part of the Brexit campaigners to listen to the warnings about the border on the island of Ireland. I well recall how they would shut down debate with the accusation of 'Project Fear'.

And yes, Seniorcitizen1 the orange walks are a blight on Scott society. That a persistant minority insist on holding and participating in these really doesn't justify saying that the West of Scotland is living in the 17th century.

Overall, a majority are against these walks.

*Wedgiecard48
*
What??? Totally disagree. Why would we not care about NI as much as we care about Scotland and Wales?

Is this comment above a joke?? Wtf. What "we" are you referring to? You do know that scotland and wales are just as British as England don't you??

Britain does not equal England!

Wow, some of the replies on here .

I live in NI and can say that 99% of the people i know don't give a hoot about religion. Most are deeply frustrated with our politicians who wouldn't know a days work if it bit them on the bum.

A hard border would be a giant pain in the ass, lots of people cross the border many times a day with some roads crossing back and forth without you even noticing. We looked on in amazement when everyone twigged that the border here might be a bit of an issue as it didn't seem to be mentioned at all in the farce before the referendum so no, YANBU OP.

We also have a very small minority who are just dying for an opportunity to bring back the old days of terror, and sadly a hard border might just do the trick.

Sorry??? No you quite clearly stated 'no there wasn't'. You did not go on to clarify anything at all. And actually there was a 58.7% voter turnout.

Yes, I responded to the PP’s claim that there was referendum in NI in the 1930s. As you can clearly see from my bolding of PP’s post, as per MN etiquette.

There was 58% overall turnout in 1973, but only around 1% nationalist turnout. Which is what I stated.

Do keep up

molly Britain absolutely does equal England, Brexit has made that crystal clear even to a Unionist Scots like myself.

“And yes, Seniorcitizen1 the orange walks are a blight on Scott society. That a persistant minority insist on holding and participating in these really doesn't justify saying that the West of Scotland is living in the 17th century. ”

Indeed. The Orange Order is comprised of 0.7% of the population of Scotland. There are more Warhammer enthusiasts than Orange Order members.

The media in a Scotland likes to over dramatise and overplay it though because sensationalism.

“molly Britain absolutely does equal England, Brexit has made that crystal clear even to a Unionist Scots like myself.”

Apologies for the highjack, just wanted to post this link https://www.asn.org.uk incase anyone would like to consider supporting this cause.

First heard about it on MN, it's a cause close to my heart, seemed appropriate given what I have read on this thread.