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Ireland?

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ireland
northern ireland should break away from the uk and rejoin ireland (destroying the uk, making it just ireland and great britain) 73%  73%  [ 11 ]
ireland should join the uk and it will be the united kingdom of great britain and ireland like it was from 1801 to 1922 27%  27%  [ 4 ]
Total votes : 15

Tequila
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11 Aug 2011, 2:21 pm

visagrunt wrote:
There are a wide range of possible futures:

1) The status quo, with Northern Ireland forming a constituent part of the United Kingdom
2) A direct transfer of territory, annexing Northern Ireland to Eire
3) Devolution, restoring to Stormont powers akin to those enjoyed by the the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly, while retaining British sovereignty
4) A transfer of sovereignty to Eire that restores authority to Stormont, ("One country, two systems")
5) A more autonomous status, akin to that of Man or the Channel Islands
6) Independence

The possibilities are limited only by the imagination and goodwill of the participants.


Go and spend a few hours on the NI forum on Politics.ie. When you come back, tell us what you think.

Most people in Northern Ireland seem relatively happy - or at least content enough - with the present situation. They don't mind who runs NI as long as people aren't dying.

Ulster Independence is a non-starter. The two main options on the table are a United Ireland or the United Kingdom.



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11 Aug 2011, 2:22 pm

IDontGetIt wrote:
Reunite NI and the Republic, rename it Happyland, and have it run by Buddhist monks. :D


There's the small matter of 750,000 Queen-worshipping, Union Jack-waving, heavily armed Unionists to think about.



IDontGetIt
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12 Aug 2011, 2:52 pm

Tequila wrote:
IDontGetIt wrote:
Reunite NI and the Republic, rename it Happyland, and have it run by Buddhist monks. :D


There's the small matter of 750,000 Queen-worshipping, Union Jack-waving, heavily armed Unionists to think about.


Peace and enlightenment will win out. :)
Besides, I was going to suggest putting the Hare Krishna lot in charge, but they wear orange. :lol:



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12 Aug 2011, 5:50 pm

Reunification would probably cause another period of violence in the north. Leave it as it is, it seems to be a stable place



Last edited by Oberoth on 12 Aug 2011, 6:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tequila
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12 Aug 2011, 5:57 pm

Oberoth wrote:
Reunification would probably cause another period of violence in the north.


Yes... especially when you consider that:

Image

Can anyone see what it is yet?

I think you'll be dreaming an awful long time for that United Ireland to come about. I wouldn't worry about it.

God Save the Queen.



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12 Aug 2011, 6:10 pm

...I assumed that this discussion required the hypothetical situation that a majority in the north would be willing to accept/not accept reunification and voted as such in a referendum, as that is the only way that it could ever happen. and to consider the pro's and con's of such an event (which i admit I am to tired to do).
I see that I was wrong in that assumption.

Even if a majority were to vote for reunification the minority would probably include elements that would respond violently to such an act. And as a personal reason for being against reunification, I wouldnt want the norths public services on the departments of finances books.



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12 Aug 2011, 6:26 pm

Oberoth wrote:
I see that I was wrong in that assumption.


No, you were probably right. Even if it was so, it would never happen. People are more likely to vote for what they know. Which means Cafflicks trotting out and voting for the Queen and the Union Jack.

A lot of Catholics I met when I was in Northern Ireland weren't thrilled about the present situation, but the younger people especially couldn't give a toss. If Unionists want the union, they should be targeting those nice people. They can be won over - end the nastiness and they will vote for the UK I suspect, especially in the nicer bits. Peel enough of those off and you're golden.



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13 Aug 2011, 10:44 am

Tequila wrote:
Go and spend a few hours on the NI forum on Politics.ie. When you come back, tell us what you think.

Most people in Northern Ireland seem relatively happy - or at least content enough - with the present situation. They don't mind who runs NI as long as people aren't dying.

Ulster Independence is a non-starter. The two main options on the table are a United Ireland or the United Kingdom.


Those two options are, I suggest, too simplistic because they don't go to the question of how much autonomy Northern Ireland has within whichever sovereignty it finds itself.

There is a great deal of merit in devolution, but not all devolution is identical. The Scottish Parliament has greater authorities than the Welsh Assembly, but fewer than the Tynwald. So the question is not simply, "should Northern Ireland remain part of the United Kingdom," but rather, "how much power should be transferred to Stormont and how much retained in Westminster."


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Tequila
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13 Aug 2011, 11:04 am

There is another wall-chart that set aside people's preferences. Most Unionists seem to prefer the devolved administration as in evidence now, with a minority being Integrationist Unionists.

The latest results were:

To remain part of the United Kingdom with direct rule: 15%
To remain part of the United Kingdom with devolved government: 58%
To reunify with the rest of Ireland: 16%
Independent state: 3%
Other answer: 3%
Don't know: 6%

I suspect people in Northern Ireland aren't so bothered about devolution so much as the fact that they have a peace there. Stormont is seen the site of sectarian mock-battles, full of idiots, part-timers, bigots and grandstanders.

Quote:
The Scottish Parliament has greater authorities than the Welsh Assembly, but fewer than the Tynwald.


True, but then the Isle of Man is not a part of the United Kingdom, nor of the European Union. It is a separate Crown Dependency.