How can we integrate Unionism into a possible United Ireland?

No I didn’t. Everyone accepts the Ira were violent. I said nationalists need to accept the sectarianism of the Ira

There's a certain class of Ulster Unionist who will never accept a United Ireland. They'll either move away (as Arlene said she would) or else get violent. But this is only a percentage, and I'm not even saying it's anything like a majority, but just to point out that there will be a group who should not be engaged with in the event of a UI because they cannot be appeased in any reasonable way. That'd just be one of the realities of a UI.

So, it falls to pragmatic Unionists and Nationalists to be swayed and to be able to say to them why a UI makes more sense from an economic and political perspective than to remain a part of the United Kingdom. If one wants to actively bring a United Ireland about, it's drafting this plan down to the finest of detail that they should be putting their energies into. A plan to make lives almost immediately better, north and south. If this proposal cannot be made, then the only way a United Ireland comes about is A) the Irish Nationalist contingent grows to an overwhelming majority (happening, I think, albeit quite slowly) B) the UK tanks economically and Ireland becomes the more attractive option without actually doing anything C) the UK government gets sick of NI and boots it out. Probably unconstitutional, but the UK doesn't actually have a constitution...

Why are you trying to sectarianise this issue? There is no reference to Catholics or Protestants in the Good Friday Agreement. Unification will not be about which church people attend but what they want for their future. Catholics and Protestants are equally irreligious in the north.

Yeah that’s exactly what I thought she said. Very different from a categoric I WOULD MOVE. But sure don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

You can talk about the semantics of it, but the fact that she talked about the idea of moving away as the most likely outcome in the event of a UI, without any qualifier - any idea of what that would even be like, other than it would no longer be a part of the UK, strikes quite an intolerant tone. Hey, if Irish Nationalists have been able to peaceably tolerate living within the UK the last 20+ years, I think a dignified stateswoman like Arlene should be able to at least give it a shot before talking about the idea of moving away. It was a bad form comment from her.

Thought she had left already. Is she not wotking for GBNews

You are completely boxed in, if you 'win' you lose.

If the British Government refuse to operate the checks on goods crossing from GB then I think the entire TCA should be suspended with a few months notice. We in the south should prepare for stepped-back mobile customs patrols on approved roads for all goods coming from the north with severe consequences for businesses not fully compliant. Let the north be at the wrong end of severely impaired UK supply-chains and we'll see how it goes for Unionism. I'd give 'NI' fewer than 5 years before it's voted out of existence permanently.

First of all there will never be a big win for unionists on this. Secondly, if Britain scraps the protocol unilaterally then a Trade war could initiated by the EU who have been more patient with Boris and his ilk. Also alot of farmers both Unionists and Nationalist won't be to happy having to restrict their sales with the south and the EU. You do realise that there was a report out recently that the North was the best performing region in the UK, that was down to the protocol. I hope you are not one those nutter unionist who'd prefer to lose 40000 jobs just to get the brexit they wanted. Unionists seem to mention that there is no cross community support for the protocol, exagerated due to unwillingness to serve as DFM under SF, but they never seem to mention there is also no cross community support for getting rid of it.

No at all. I want the sea checks etc gone. I just want the dup types to show a little humility if/when it happens - not a quality of theirs or SFs

I fear SF have turned it into a win lose whereas it can be a win win

but hey. Sure everyone told me it wouldn’t happen so you don’t need to worry.

now if it happens just watch Eu suddenly find solutions to a hard border. Then we will be sitting pretty

we just need to call it a draw

I was very aware of that report. Unionists won’t wear that this time - I trust

We can all be winners in the north if Uk removes Eu control and Eu find a way to avoid hard border. It’s that simple. That’s win win

Bull. The Loyalist terrorist murderers were probably in uniform patrolling Belfast.

The DUP won't want to climb down from this particular hill. They've staked out their position very publicly. Maybe they would climb down after enough time has elapsed and something else happens that distracts their voters from the fact that they went back into government, but that won't be happening shortly unless Westminster can find some way to strong arm the DUP back into Stormont. What progressive laws could Westminster foist upon the North that would have Sammy Wilson's face redder than a ripe tomato?

Okay you're saying that the rise of the Alliance reflects the emergence of a substantial body of genuinely 'neither Orange nor Green' voters in the North and that the UI referendum will be won by the bulk of these opting for Ireland/EU on a pragmatic basis.

I don't believe this is the reality of NI, although it might be in another generation. IMO nearly everyone there, even if they vote Alliance and describe themselves as 'Other' in an opinion poll, has a sense deep down of themselves as belong either to the Catholic/Nationalist or Protestant/Unionist 'tribe'. And for a UI referendum to be won a sizeable chunk of the latter would have to 'cross the floor' and definitively reject the tribe of their upbringing. And I don't see that happening anytime soon...