Can anyone tell me why the DUP are so hellbent on Brexit....

[Oakenbeach]

.... even if that means we crash out in 31 October? It seems to make no sense for a party whose overriding top priority and raison d’etre is the remain in the UK... Don’t they see this that a no-deal Brexit is the biggest threat to the union for NI in a century? It seems totally insane, far more so even than the mainland British no-dealers! What am I missing?

It's not that long ago that the British shot the Irish......... hence the need for the IRA.

"NI is very similar to the situation in Palestine. There has been no resolution there and there will be no easy answer in NI"

That's the thing. Miraculously and unbelievably it WAS solved. With GFA. And that success was ticking along nicely and getting bedded down until Brexit happened to threaten GFA.

I'm talking about post Brexit @bellinisurge

Not the situation as it stands and has stood for the past 21 years.

I think if it was put to a vote in Northern Ireland most people would put the trade and regulatory border to in the Irish Sea. The majority would also be delighted with special status for NI allowing them to be both in and out of the EU. The people of NI are well used being 2 contradictory at one time.

A United Ireland is a decision for the future.

Not rtft

Maybe they think it will make it easier to push for abortion laws in England to be rolled back. Not sure if scotland wales can make their own decisions on that.

Problem with that is that it won't be put to a vote and the DUP are the ones with power and a voice and they will not allow a border in the Irish sea as it separates them from their precious mainland.......

Not rtft Maybe they think it will make it easier to push for abortion laws in England to be rolled back.

Say what now?

We need to get the assembly up and running. At the moment the only voice speaking for NI is the DUP.
Sinn Fein should feel ashamed of themselves frankly.

Totally agree - they're doing a great disservice to the people who voted for them.

{We need to get the assembly up and running. At the moment the only voice speaking for NI is the DUP.}

The majority in NI voted to remain which is understandable. I can only guess that the haggling over the border was not given a huge amount of attention as AT THAT TIME promises of 'it will be sorted out' and details were left vague. And we have seen, promises have been broken left right and centre.
It is disgusting that the UK government only listened to the DUP and have had very little (apparent) discussion with the other parties in NI.

{It's not that long ago that the British shot the Irish......... hence the need for the IRA.}

There is no NEED for the IRA. The actions of anyone using intimidation, shooting, bombing, signifies a horrendous failing of political leaders and the acceptance of compromise on all parts.

Were we supposed to tolerate being shot indiscriminately?

{Were we supposed to tolerate being shot indiscriminately?}

Do you have any suggestions about how any of the many and varied issues might be resolved or are you just going to snipe from the sidelines?

Are you going to take a snipe at the IRA at any opportunity?
You fight fire with fire. Diplomacy doesn't work when you're being shot and discriminated against for centuries. That's just submission. And the Irish people have never been submissive.

Don't come out with bold statements such as 'There is no NEED for the IRA' and not expect someone to remind you of why they existed in the first place.

Are the IRA nice? No
Do I like them? No
Do I agree with everything they've done? No
Was there a NEED and an appetite for them? Yes
Do I wish they were never needed? Yes
Why were they needed? Because the British terrorised, intimidated, shot, exploited, tortured and murdered Irish people for 800 years.
Do I agree with their ideology? Yes
Do I want a resurgence? No
Do I think they will potentially re-emerge in the event of a hard border? Yes
Do I want to avoid that? Yes
How? By getting the DUP out of power via a GA, and accepting the WA.

HTH

Britain has been at war with France over the years, here is a quick list taken from Wiki.
1202–04 1213–14 1215–17 1242–43 1294–1303 1324 1337–1453 (1337–60, 1369–89, 1415–53) 1496-98 1512–14 1522–26 1542–46 1557–1559 1627–29 1666–67 1667-68 1689–97 1702–13 1744–48 1744–1763 1754–63 1778–83 1793–1802 1803–14 1815

Somehow it is pretty peaceful now.

And Ireland was at war with Britain.......

Except Ireland's 'war' was called terrorism.

{Except Ireland's 'war' was called terrorism.}

No one comes out smelling of roses, but refusing to leave matters be and move forward only prolongs it.

To LeClerc

Good point and going back 800 years too like what Thump said about England and Ireland.

USA is Japan’s second largest trading partner. So the horrific bombing of Japan by the USA in WWII has not hindered relations

This is a good interview which explains in a manner how tense relations are between Ireland and NI. Just to write a song that would encapsulate NI playing with Irish in rugby and that didn't manage to offend anyone!

It's a fucking mine field.

Anyone who thinks a UI will solve everything hasn't a bloody clue what they're talking about.

I have not suggested UI would solve anything, but anyone who lays down preconditions or refuses to be part of forward discussions is part of the problem.

The IRA conducted themselves appallingly, but it would be remiss and indeed omitting the entire root of the war in the first place not to say that the British army conducted themselves pretty appallingly too.

Bloody Sunday? Ballymurphy? There are countless other examples.

Please don't pretend that the IRA were fighting one sided. Indeed they wouldn't have fought at all without British invasion!

So no, I don't agree with the methods the IRA used, not one bit. But then I don't agree with the British invasion of Ireland and routine brutalisation of innocent Catholics by the British army either.

You can't airbrush history.

Are you seriously suggesting that Westminster has treated NI fairly? That they've listened to the need for hard won peace and protected it at all costs?

Because that's staggeringly ignorant.

The GFA was democratically voted for, why should stupidity rip it up?

No one comes out smelling of roses, but refusing to leave matters be and move forward only prolongs it.

The GFA moved it forward, in a really meaningful way. It is not the people of NI trying to scrap it. Why should they be the ones to fix the problem they never caused again?