Also, how would a break-up of the UK into England plus Celtic nations (Scotland, Wales, Cornwall) affect things? "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
You need to write a diary explaining Ireland's structural dependence on the UK, which you bring up any time people think of doing something without Britain.
Thinking about it, I don't think that would have much effect on the enhanced cooperation things except on travel policy: you'd still need passport and border checks, and it's not as if you can simply walk from Ireland to France.
The UK leaving the EU might be problematic - we have to move stuff through them - but that's a matter of negotiating details.
I have no idea what the effect of a splintering UK would have. I doubt a federal unUK would have much effect, but full independence for lots of bits would be interesting, in the Chinese proverb sense.
All you need is an independent Ulster with an open border.
How Eurosceptic is Northern Ireland? "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
The question is, if the choice was to stay in the Union with England or to stay in the EU, what would happen? Another flare-up? "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
I mean, the whole point of Unionists is to stay in the Union. Would Commonwealth membership suffice for them? But the North has strong Scottish links. Can you imagine a Kingdom of Northern Ireland and Scotland?
Republicans would be emboldened by a break-up and I'd expect to see violent elements reasserting themselves - probably on both sides. It then depends how that cascades. Remember that originally British troops arrived in the North to protect Nationalists from Unionists.
When the "Conservative and Unionist Party" seems bent on getting an English Parliament, Unionism be damned, it seems that Scottish Unionists are not in control of their future... "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
Just over two-thirds (67%) of the Scottish population reported currently having a religion. More than six out of ten people said that their religion was Christian (65%): 42% Church of Scotland, 16% Roman Catholics and 7% Other Christian.
What is the demographics in N Ireland now? Aren't birthrate and emigration differentials slowly wiping out the demographic advantage the unionists historically had?
I'd say your six nations side might have a better go at the stade de france with a bit more help from up there... Nil aon leigheas ar an ngra ach posadh
Well, since you put it that way, and since rugby is the superior sport, perhaps they should consider political boundaries the way they do rugby boundaries.
Suspect the SNP would agree as well... Nil aon leigheas ar an ngra ach posadh
The difference is that rugby union and cricket, in Ireland, are predominantly middle class sports. Association football (or soccer) is more of a working class game and thus more influenced by the passions of partition.
That is my theory anyway.
Overall: Protestants (total) 895,377 Catholics (total) 737,412 (I'd estimate that since 2001, Protestants must have remained about level, while Catholics must have added some 25,000.)
Among those aged 73 or older, Protestants are more than twice of Catholics. In the peak year for Protestant (and a boomer generation peak for Catholics), age 36 in 2001, Protestants still maintain a lead, albeit one shrunk to 20% (14,253 : 11,822).
For every single age 24 years old or younger, Catholics are ahead. On the crest of the next demographic wave (and the peak year for Catholics), age 16, Catholics are 13% ahead (12,321 : 13,918). Although the advantage lessened somewhat among the early and pre-teens, it's again higher among the babies, with the <1 years group showing the record 15.9% Catholic advantage over Protestants.
Note though, among the youngest, there is also a record 9.2% with 'no religious background'. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Not enough irish-scots to compensate for all the orangemen bigots in Ulster? Maybe send some of the Irish-american diaspora back too and get the balances to foot. Fringe benefit for me - Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity taking over whole blocks of RTE programming, and my own airwaves far cleaner!
Course, there might still be a problem with the french-irish too, all those normans with surnames that don't start with o' and mc'. Seem to recall there was a monument built in Wexford to commemorate the 800th anniversary or so of the Norman landing, so maybe some mediation down there will be necessary as well. Nil aon leigheas ar an ngra ach posadh
not everyone thinks it was a good thing, apparently. Nil aon leigheas ar an ngra ach posadh
Imagine how Unionists would beel about needing ID to go to the rest of the UK, andnot needing it to go to Ireland.
Plus, as of today, there is no ID requirement in the UK, and no optional national id. You'd need a driver's licence or a passport to go from Northern Ireland to England. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
You'd need a driver's licence or a passport to go from Northern Ireland to England.
But you do already. How do you go between the two places other than by plane or by car/ferry boat?
And yeah, I understand about the symbol. Just hide it behind "security". We don't seem to mind in airports. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Well, the point here is that Norway would have had to abandon the Nordic open border agreements, and given the choice they decided to join Schengen. The UK doesn't trust Europe and so whould rather close the border with Ireland if Ireland joined Schengen. But Ireland is in a situation of dependence with respect to the Uk here, so they stay out of Schengen. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
