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Brexit
Original poster

Ireland and your vote.

733 replies

RuggerHug · 06/10/2019 19:37

I am genuinely interested in all opinions here and I really hope that comes across. I don't want to start arguments or stir up hatred or insults. I've been on these boards for awhile and I know I've probably been quite ranty at times. I really want to not be here, so I'd like to ask everyone who voted, leave or remain, the following and I'd really appreciate your answers/thoughts.

Did ROI and NI play a part in your decision to vote whatever way?

Did the effect of a vote either way to NI and ROI occur at all, if so how?

Since the result, did anyone have a change of heart/become more sure of their vote based on what came out regarding ROI and NI afterwards?

Have you any thoughts on how we've been during it all/how our media portrays activities in the UK(if you're aware of what is said/shown here).

Hopefully this won't come across as trying to start a fight but, in all of this, did you care about us and the fallout or did you consider it not the UKs/anyone elses problem?

For disclosure, I'm Irish, in ROI, spent a lot of time at the border/in NI before the GFA, not as much after. Anyone I know in the UK that had a vote voted remain, I know 1 Leave voter(who lives in ROI).

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock · 11/10/2019 11:59

I'd be interested to hear the reasons from a NI resident that voted leave

One poster advised that they were told they would go to hell if they didn't vote leave and believed it!
The poster says there are some voters who are extremely religious people.
TBH I think like a large part of the UK the vote was swayed down to freedom of movement. Racism if you like.
Some may disagree I believe the older generation and many younger ones hate each other but they hate outsiders more.
You only have to Google racist attacks in NI on a certain side of town.

jasjas1973 · 11/10/2019 12:30

Labour as they want brexit cancelled

Labour want a confirmatory referendum, thats their stated and firm policy.

Stop posting even more lies.

prettybird · 11/10/2019 12:36

Don't even bother reacting to his posts: if you notice, the less he is responded to, the less he posts (and the less I have to scroll past Wink)..... Almost as if it were automated Wink

CactusAndCacti · 11/10/2019 12:39

The following groups will vote against any form of Withdrawal Agreement:

Umm, a lot of Brexit MP's voted against it to for not being Brexitie enough. So you need to add all them in too.

jasjas1973 · 11/10/2019 12:40

Very true Pretty and i've gone through stages of completely ignoring his crap too.
I relapsed lol!

ZestyDragon · 11/10/2019 13:27

I live and work in NI within a few miles of the border. I am from the Republic but spent my teens and twenties in London.

I voted remain because I am not a fucking idiot who wants the place where I live to implode.

Of the brexit voters I know, one voted because of "immigration" (despite the fact that we have trouble trying to get people to come here and stay!), one voted out because he wants a united ireland and I suspect a good few people around me are thinking along those lines and the third out voted because "everyone around me was saying we need to stay but I'm an anarchist....."(that was the only one of three from a unionist background).

EmeraldShamrock · 11/10/2019 15:30

Unfortunately the citizens of NI have known tactical voting their entire life.
I am sure most don't agree with lots of their parties policies but what can they do when it is about power sharing, getting the most seats for a voice for your community.

isabellerossignol · 11/10/2019 17:51

One poster advised that they were told they would go to hell if they didn't vote leave and believed it!

That was me. And you keep sneering at it as if I made it up. But I didn't. The people I know personally who voted leave did so for religious reasons. You may think its absurd, I certainly do. But a belief in hell and avoiding it is pretty standard in evangelical Christianity, so a voting pattern amongst a particular group of religious people will reflect those beliefs.

blubberyboo · 11/10/2019 19:50

A lot of the Brexit voters in NI we think also come from the east and north east part of NI ie counties Antrim Down through to the North Coast. Listening to these people on the street they cite things similar to England ie concerns with immigration (some towns like Ballymena have had problems with the behaviour of some immigrants in terms of fly tipping, sexual assaults and trying to cause car accidents to make insurance claims). Obviously not all immigrants are like this but this all became emphasised during the Brexit campaign.

Also being the poorest region of the UK they believed the spin that we would all have more money and our health service would improve

These areas are furthest away from the border and most people don’t use the border often (certainly not in everyday life) and dare I say as these areas are more unionist a lot followed the direction of the DUP and the Secretary of State Teresa Villiers who kept telling them the border would be ok with new technology so they didn’t need to worry about it.

How stupid in hindsight for them to actually believe the Uk govt would seriously spend untold monies creating and developing a technological border solution ,which hasn’t yet been invented, for this little place

blubberyboo · 11/10/2019 20:58

Her reaction Doesn’t surprise me.

Arlene campaigned for Brexit so she won’t like anything that leaves NI out of it as it will be seen as the rest of the Uk is getting Brexit and we are not

She came out the day of the result when all other politicians were in shock (and already worrying about how it would work) and she rejoiced over how this would make the Uk and our union with Uk stronger. She probably thought it took us a step further away from a united ireland as her party never agreed with GFA anyway arguing that it was a concession to give away part of our Britishness

She didn’t think that Brexit could actually lead to partially severing our ties to GB

But then she isn’t exactly the most competent individual from her track record

EmeraldShamrock · 11/10/2019 21:35

They are banging their heads together. I can't see anyway of preventing a hard border if brexit goes ahead.
Unionist won't agree as per the DUP Nationalist won't agree to be blocked in by the English again.
Hindsight is wonderful I can't understand why they thought the DUP was a good option even if they were the last option.

MysteryTripAgain · 12/10/2019 05:27

completely ignoring his crap too

Said by the poster that thinks every voter should be examined on their knowledge and expertise of GFA and NI before they are allowed to vote!

Can you explain how that would be achieved and detail the following:

Who sets the questions

Where will the examinations take place

What is the pass mark

Who will be the examiners

How long would it take to complete all the examinations

What are the estimated costs of the examination

Who shall pay the costs

Look forward to your reply and whether or not any thinks it is a good idea.

Fatshedra · 12/10/2019 07:35

If we get a deal I think someone deserves a medal, probably Dominic Cummings. They've manipulated the situation so everyone is scared there is no deal, no one wants to be the bad guy, not the Eu not the DUP, not labour and the snp by voting against this last chance solution.
So we are about as close as we can get.
Another election might not resolve anything. Our magnificent Mother if parliaments will never be able to hold its head up on the world stage if they ignore the result and have another referendum.
Could be a win win for Boris.

bellinisurge · 12/10/2019 07:38

Didn't need Cummings to scare me about No Deal.

Mistigri · 12/10/2019 07:46

The deal we get, if we get one, will be simply the original withdrawal agreement in its NI-only backstop version. The all-UK version was a concession to the U.K. and the EU will be happy to see the back of it.

Brexiters: you've been played, suckers.

Voila212 · 12/10/2019 09:29

Misti I'm not sure if you saw it but Joe Duffy was on the late late last night, he was discussing the book children of the Troubles. The stories were so sad, one mother was there and even after 50 years she couldn't speak about her sons death just about her sons life. There was a sister as well and she said NI was still grieving and talks of Brexit and borders was causing fear.

MysteryTripAgain · 12/10/2019 12:19

The deal we get, if we get one, will be simply the original withdrawal agreement in its NI-only backstop version

But will a NI only backstop get through parliament? If; labour, Linds and SNP support a NI only backstop, how do they explain their decision to vote against the WA three times almost unanimously?

Can't see Libdems supporting any WA as Jo Swi'son has said even if there was another referendum and result was to leave it is Libdems policy to ignore the vote and revoke.

SNP have said several times that as Scotland voted to remain it is their policy to remain. So why would SNP support any WA?

Labour is the fascination. Their reason for rejecting the WA three times is that it did not pass their six tests. Does a NI only backstop cover all six labour tests?

ERG seem to support no deal.

Based on the above, how will anyway get through parliament?

Fatshedra · 13/10/2019 06:06

I think snp feel if we leave there is more chance of independence but they made the wrong call last time .....

yellowallpaper · 13/10/2019 12:49

I can't remember anything being mentioned about Ireland before the referendum. Tbh I didn't take a huge amount of notice of it all as I expected remain to win anyway

DarlingNikita · 13/10/2019 12:58

I can't remember anything being mentioned about Ireland before the referendum.

Even so, surely anyone who's ever read/watched the news in about the past thirty years (not to mention documentaries and TV dramas/films/novels/plays etc etc) had SOME inkling about this thing called the GFA? It is very hard to miss the Northern Ireland situation if you have any engagement at all with any aspect of the national conversation.

bellinisurge · 13/10/2019 16:02

If you stuck your fingers in your ears and said "La la la. I must not think bad thoughts " you probably would have missed it.

CactusAndCacti · 13/10/2019 16:40

The ramifications regarding a border were not explained (I wonder if the PTB realised too) Even in the Indyref it was kind of brushed aside with talk of 'it would get sorted'

blubberyboo · 13/10/2019 20:40

David Cameron did warn that Brexit would either mean a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland OR between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The problem was he didn’t shout it passionately enough ...

..and when he did it was largely only reported in the Irish media

The British media barely reported it all.. which begs the question why

MysteryTripAgain · 15/10/2019 05:38

Even so, surely anyone who's ever read/watched the news in about the past thirty years (not to mention documentaries and TV dramas/films/novels/plays etc etc) had SOME inkling about this thing called the GFA?

Not sure I agree with that. Remember UK mainland were excluded from the vote/referendum.

Also GFA signed in 1998. By time 2016 came around it was very likely forgotten on UK mainland.

It is very hard to miss the Northern Ireland situation if you have any engagement at all with any aspect of the national conversation

Disagree with that too. Northern Ireland seldom mentioned in UK media or press. Only since the word backstop appear in the Brexit negotiations did Northern Ireland come to light.

David Cameron did warn that Brexit would either mean a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland OR between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK

I don't remember that. Don't remember it being mentioned on the live TV debates either.

The problem was he didn’t shout it passionately enough

Not included in the leaflet sent to every household in the UK at a cost of £9 Million to the taxpayer. Nor mentioned on the website, eureferendum.co.uk

and when he did it was largely only reported in the Irish media

The British media barely reported it all.. which begs the question why

Because it affects the island of Ireland, but not UK mainland.