Fann Linn wrote: » Justine McCarthy's commentary in last week's Sunday Times raised an interesting point, she said the FFG parties can condone Arlene Foster meeting Loyalist paramilitaries, can consider and listen to calls for Ireland to rejoin the Commonwealth when it was mooted by a FG TD, can approve an RIC commemoration but run a mile when a Border Poll is discussed despite it being an integral part of the Good Friday Agreement.
landofthetree wrote: » The people of Ireland both North and South voted in 1998 to let the British government decide when a poll happens. So what can the Irish government do? Ask for a poll? The Tories will say no. A lab gov will say no. No British PM will want to be the want to see the UK break up under their leadership.
end of the road wrote: » yes it would ultimately have to be ignored given that it is really the NI vote that counts and our vote is just a vote for votes sake. refusing to respect the democratic vote of northern ireland would cause very serious issues
Junkyard Tom wrote: » The delusion belongs to those who think that rejecting a United Ireland in the south wouldn't have untold repercussions.
FrancieBrady wrote: » Like no British PM would ever put a border in the Irish Sea? When will Irish people learn? (I am assuming you are Irish.) The British will always do what is in their selfish interests.
Moragle wrote: » So you're suggesting that in the case that the people of the Republic voted no to a united Ireland, this democratic vote should be ignored?
landofthetree wrote: » Exactly. They will decide. The Irish government have no say. Thats my point,
end of the road wrote: » it would have to be, the repercussions of not respecting NI'S wish to reunify with the south would just be to dangerous most likely.
end of the road wrote: » realistically the likely costs of NI are probably going to be less then 10000000000 at the highest rate, which is very affordable to the south.
Zaph wrote: » That's 10bn, per year, you do realise that, yeah? Explain to me how that will be very affordable, because I'm at a complete loss to understand where it's going to come from. If the government had that sort of money currently available to them do you not think we'd somehow know about it by now?
Junkyard Tom wrote: » Belfast seriously under-performs economically compared to Dublin, there is no good reason for this save for UK jurisdiction. I've little doubt that with a synchronised all-Ireland economy Belfast would easily catch up and become a net beneficiary to the Irish exchequer and greater Ulster region.
end of the road wrote: » yes, i do know it's 10000000000 a year, and i'm deliberately being high with that figure as i think it will actually be a lot less. both belfast and derry have a lot going for them, belfast especially and reunification will in the long term lead to a very stable country as a whole meaning belfast and derry would be attractive for foreign investment in the form of jobs and all sorts which would get the costs down even further. we will be fine, there will be a lot to work out but we will work it out and get through the issues, reunification is ultimately going to happen eventually so it's in everyone's interest to begin the process now, even if it takes a long time before it actually does happen.
Jinglejangle69 wrote: » Through what means?
Junkyard Tom wrote: » Lowered corporation tax, the IDA working to send business that direction, good rail and road links between Dublin and Belfast, they should really be sister cities.
Samsonsmasher wrote: » We simply would be incapable of policing Northern Ireland. During the Troubles the British had tens of thousands of troops patrolling the streets for decades while the police were armed. There were significant numbers of undercover special forces troops and intelligence agents running spy networks on the ground. We do not have that capability nor are we prepared to fight a counterinsurgency against both loyalists and republicans. Loyalists would obviously want the Irish Republic out of Northern Ireland and would be very effective if they used the same tactics they used during the Troubles - target random innocent Catholics. The republicans do not recognise the Dublin government and with the British out of the picture would be emboldened. Southerners would have no stomach to send young men and women north to be killed so obviously northern Catholics would make the Gardai and Defence Forces just as Protestants once were the majority of the RUC and UDR. The character of the Gardaí and Defence Forces would be openly sectarian with collusion with republicans and sectarian murders of Protestants. It would be a new Troubles with roles reversed with Catholics oppressing Protestants except this time Britain would have no part.
Zaph wrote: » And in the meantime we're shelling out up to 10bn a year until they get their sh*t together, which isn't going to happen overnight? So again I ask, where is this money coming from? It won't magically appear out of thin air just because the country reunites.
Rodin wrote: » This isn't Iraq.
jm08 wrote: » And in that case, when it doesn't happen overnight, the UK will still be paying the subvention
Zaph wrote: » And why exactly, outside of their commitments to pensions, would they want to do that if it's no longer part of the UK? Seriously, when it comes to the economic side of things there's nothing more than wishful thinking and pie in the sky blanket statements on this thread. Even being optimistic and saying that somehow NI could stand on its own two feet, economically speaking, within a decade of reunification, that's still an awful lot of money that the Irish government will have to find to keep them going in the meantime. We simply don't have that money, if we did don't you think we'd have a shiny new metro system in Dublin, or high quality rail connections throughout the country, etc.?[/QUOTE The reason we do not have what you mention is our public service bill way too high.
Samsonsmasher wrote: » We simply would be incapable of policing Northern Ireland. During the Troubles the British had tens of thousands of troops patrolling the streets for decades while the police were armed. There were significant numbers of undercover special forces troops and intelligence agents running spy networks on the ground. We do not have that capability nor are we prepared to fight a counterinsurgency against both loyalists and republicans. Loyalists would obviously want the Irish Republic out of Northern Ireland and would be very effective if they used the same tactics they used during the Troubles - target random innocent Catholics. The republicans do not recognise the Dublin government and with the British out of the picture would be emboldened. Southerners would have no stomach to send young men and women north to be killed so obviously northern Catholics would make up the majority of Gardai and Defence Forces in Ulster just as Protestants once were the majority of the RUC and UDR. The character of the Gardaí and Defence Forces would be openly sectarian with collusion with republicans and sectarian murders of Protestants. It would be a new Troubles with roles reversed with Catholics oppressing Protestants except this time Britain would have no part except perhaps covertly.
Fred Cryton wrote: » Peacefully. But not successfully. The East German states are still economically on life support dependent on outside investment and public sector jobs. Very like Northern Ireland actually. And it cost West German taxpayers about €2 trillion euro, with a 5% "solidarity tax" on every pay cheque. How do people feel about paying an additional 5% or 10% of their wages in tax for the North?
maestroamado wrote: » The Gardai would sort it out, sure commissioner has experienced there...
