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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU - England couldn’t care less about Northern Ireland

579 replies

ThisThatTheOther · 09/04/2021 08:19

Northern Ireland has seen a return to violence , petrol bombs etc every night for a week now. It’s dominated the headlines here in Ireland. People are worried as peace up north is so fragile. Listening to the radio yesterday an old advisor of Tony Blair was on to discuss. The radio host read out the top 8 listed stories on all main English sites and the violence of Northern Ireland didn’t even feature. It’s the top headline again in all major Irish publications this morning but not in English publications.

OP posts:
Bitofanexpert · 10/04/2021 06:32

I say this from a very, very limited understanding of the situation- but living in England I do not understand why NI is still part of the UK. I never have to be honest. I don’t feel like it is a part of the UK. I think most people here share the same point of view. To me when you are discussing this then you may as well be speaking about violence in France. Horrible to hear about but I just feel disassociated from it.

bathmatty · 10/04/2021 06:39

but living in England I do not understand why NI is still part of the UK

Where should it be part of?

bathmatty · 10/04/2021 06:40

I think most people here share the same point of view

It would explain the apathy

Emeraldshamrock · 10/04/2021 09:50

but living in England I do not understand why NI is still part of the UK. I never have to be honest. I don’t feel like it is a part of the UK.
Well it is just like Scotland too, do you understand why Scotland is still part of the UK or does your information fail at NI only. Confused

randomer · 10/04/2021 10:24

That bloody marching and flag waving is hideous.

lifeturnsonadime · 10/04/2021 10:40

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

If things don't settle down I can see the British army being sent back, the whole thing erupting again & the GFA being forgotten

Just about the only hope I have of this not coming to pass, is that Trump did not give a single shiny shite about the US's role as a guarantor of the GFA, whereas Biden at least talks as if he views this with the utmost importance. If the US stays true to the noises about the UK being told to completely ram any notion of a trade deal until this is resolved, then that should at least impart some degree of pressure on the UK government to get something done. I think some sort of backtrack on the Brexit terms is ultimately more likely than troops being deployed in NI, but I'm not holding my breath.

Yes this is going to be a factor. I remember Biden making his views clear on the GFA before he won the election.

I think our 'special relationship' will be on thin ice if matters escalate.

Brexit really is a gift, not only have we lost our closest trading partner we have made relations with other trading partners potentially. more difficult

PhoenixandtheRug · 10/04/2021 10:45

Rosehip they are not sectarian at all...the problem is people are so used to hearing one side only it is a little uncomfortable for them to hear a nationalist voice. Where did I say the drugs are a loyalist problem only? We all know the waste of space republican druggies are getting theirs from the South so only the loyalist drug gangs are being affected by the Protocol. WHICH IS THE WHOLE DAMN POINT OF THE RIOTS.

If you are reading sectarianism into my posts maybe it is YOU who has the problem.Confused

CliffsofMohair · 10/04/2021 11:32

[quote Emeraldshamrock]@Huginamugg just to reassure you there are 1000's of protestant citizens in the Republic. Flowers
Religion is not an issue besides most people are atheist. Grin[/quote]
Absolutely. We’d welcome the traybakes 😋

Bitofanexpert · 10/04/2021 11:55

Think this point is fairly obvious but I’ll humor you and say that Scotland and Wales are the same bit of land. There is a sea divide with NI. It’s not easily accessible. It might as well be a different country.

EmeraldShamrock · 10/04/2021 12:26

Think this point is fairly obvious but I’ll humor you and say that Scotland and Wales are the same bit of land. There is a sea divide with NI. It’s not easily accessible. It might as well be a different country. No need for humor your point wasn't obvious it was silly and your explanation is similar your previous point below.
living in England I do not understand why NI is still part of the UK. I never have to be honest. I don’t feel like it is a part of the UK.
Unfortunately how you feel isn't relevant it is what it, NI is still part of the UK? Why wouldn't it be, it walks like the UK talks like the UK, NHS service.

UhtredRagnarson · 10/04/2021 12:39

living in England I do not understand why NI is still part of the UK.

That’s nothing to do with living in England, it’s to do with not bothering to find out.

pourqouimoi · 10/04/2021 12:40

Is crazy to me that there is anyone left in Northern Ireland loyal to a state (UK) which clearly gives so few shits about them

pourqouimoi · 10/04/2021 12:41

I mean, I do know why but when you see the ignorance people in the mainland have about NI and its history...

PhoenixandtheRug · 10/04/2021 12:49

@pourqouimoi

Is crazy to me that there is anyone left in Northern Ireland loyal to a state (UK) which clearly gives so few shits about them

I think it is similar to us Irish nationalists always feeling a deep connection to the Republic even when they turn their backs on us. It is almost something in our DNA.

MrsSnitchnose · 10/04/2021 13:17

I'm surprised there are so many people on this thread who know nothing about Irish history. I left school in 2002 and it was one of the assignment topics for GCSE History which I took. Was a fascintaing subject and was certainly on the English curriculum when I was at school (I'm 35)

poppycat10 · 10/04/2021 13:22

Where should it be part of

If Scotland ever dissolves the Union, maybe the Republic of NI and Scotland?

EmeraldShamrock · 10/04/2021 13:27

I think it is similar to us Irish nationalists always feeling a deep connection to the Republic even when they turn their backs on us Maybe it is a form of Stockholm syndrome. If they give up their loyalty then they lose identity.
At least for a nationalist there is a warmth from the Republic which stood out throughout Brexit.
Many here want a united Ireland it is small country that was decapitated.

Rillington · 10/04/2021 13:44

Up until last year I knew nothing of the history of Northern Ireland. I didn't learn anything in school at all about it. I watched the film Hunger about Bobby Sands. I watched lots of documentaries about both sides. I can understand why both sides behave the way they do.

Bitofanexpert · 10/04/2021 15:14

Doubtless there will be countless things I know about that you don’t- and many more things you know about that I don’t. I said my knowledge was very limited on this subject. I would hope I wouldn’t be patronising to you if you said the same. ‘Silly’ is a word you use to describe the behaviour of little children- patronising and rude. No need.

The thread title asked do people in England ‘give a shit about NI’. OP asked the question and therefore should be prepared for people to answer it honestly- no, I don’t care generally, and I can guess most around me here also don’t. I care about it as much as I don’t really care about reading about France and Ireland in general. Not nice to hear bad news from the place but not a main topic of interest for me whatsoever.

Why on earth Ireland can’t be united as one country baffles me- it would make much more sense.

PhoenixandtheRug · 10/04/2021 15:37

@EmeraldShamrock

I think it is similar to us Irish nationalists always feeling a deep connection to the Republic even when they turn their backs on us Maybe it is a form of Stockholm syndrome. If they give up their loyalty then they lose identity. At least for a nationalist there is a warmth from the Republic which stood out throughout Brexit. Many here want a united Ireland it is small country that was decapitated.

Yes, could have kissed the Irish Govt for funding Erasmus. Arlene Foster saying she would leave if there was a UI I found very sad...she just seems to want supremacy and not equality with us. Even through the worst of times I would never have wanted to leave my beautiful North on this wonderful island.

GreenSlide · 10/04/2021 15:59

@Emeraldshamrock

Tbf I think a lot of Arlene's annoyances over the funeral are a distraction to avoid answering questions or even encouraging an investigation into the Noah Donohue case. Scandalous. Sad
She's a an absolute car crash of an FM. She seriously needs to go.
LizzieAnt · 10/04/2021 16:03

Why on earth Ireland can’t be united as one country baffles me- it would make much more sense.

@Bitofanexpert
Because a large proportion of people in Northern Ireland identify as British, not as Irish, and they don't want to unite with Ireland.

Hazelnut5 · 10/04/2021 16:25

Why on earth Ireland can’t be united as one country baffles me- it would make much more sense.

I see it as being a bit like why we can’t just give the Falkland Islands back to Argentina. That’s another place where, for historical reasons, the majority of the population are British and care very much about being British.

Jurassicperk · 10/04/2021 16:29

Why on earth Ireland can’t be united as one country baffles me- it would make much more sense.

Are people seriously asking this question as if it's not been thought of before? Simplifying the issue to such an extent is infantilising and degrading to the people that have actually lived through it.

Newchances · 10/04/2021 16:47

4 nights? It's been happening the guts of 3 weeks at this point...since Arlene and her friends called for it..

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