Northern Ireland 2125?

Back to thinly veiled threats, Downcow? You've woke up fiery this morning.

The vast majority of reasonable people have no intention of trying to get rid of your history or culture.

I think a lot ot Unionist insecurity around this stems from either conscious or subconscious acknowledgement or perhaps even guilt that this is what the British tried to do in Ireland and those in power in what became NI tried to do to the Irish (indeed, still do sometimes around the Irish language). Fortunately times have moved on in the rest of the world and apart from a few bitter types, no one would like to see that injustice visited upon you as some sort of twisted, 'now the shoe is on the other foot' revenge.

you ok there?

What that was about I am none the wiser.

Belligerent Unionism still has not gotten it’s head around the idea they need to convince.

If you want another referendum you will have to do what pro-UIers are doing now.

Convince the majority that voted for a UI that they made a mistake.

I can tell you now if the plan is violence it will be added to the list of wrong side of history - strategic f*** ups, that has you where you are now.

I didn't skip it, I answered it very directly. I don't have any interest in what England, Cornwall or The Shetlands would, could or should do.

To expand, my lack of interest means I don't know enough to give any sort of reasonable answer beyond gut feeling, and given you're trying to make a point about potential devolution or repartition post Unification, I'd prefer you asked whatever you're hinting at directly, as I'd prefer my uninformed gut feeling answer wasn't taken as universally applicable one way or the other.

Certainly some Catholics have thrown their lot in with NI and would be ardent Unionists, I'd warrant a substantial number don't want to upset the status quo and wouldn't necessarily be easily persuaded to another massive upheaval down the line to your New Northern Ireland 2.0 either.

I've not suggested that you shouldn't engage in hypotheticals.....but I've challenged the likelihood of them per my own opinion. I've certainly never insisted you take a SF position.

The vast vast majority of B-Specials or RUC or British army never shot at anybody or beat them up. Most did not engage in violence but resisted it.

Where's the source for this?

Surely it must be good for you to use the word "vast". Or are you exageratting….

Hundreds of thousands of people served in the security services in N.Ireland. I know you like to tar them all with the same brush, but can you show where hundreds of thousands of people were shot at / beaten up by the security services?

You made the statement; what's your source?

It would be interesting to know how big or how small is "the Majority" or the "vast majority", because you are clearly pushing an agenda that you don't understand.

@Francis McM do you need @blanch152 to white knight in and pardon you as well seeing as todays efforts are much quieter than yesterdays tantrums.

Or are we ever going to see any of those sources that were "easy to find/ numerous / irrefutable"?

Or is the weird logic of telling me to "back up someone else's statements" going to apply here as well?

The best thing would be for poor FrancisMCM just accept we all know you've been talking through your arse as usual.

"Nice UDR man I didn't give cheek to" suddenly trumps verified documentary evidence.

Downcow, in most of those examples, there was the backing of the British Government/Army so the claim about no violence is not true. After 1641, it was Cromwell who came to the rescue and there was most definitely violence.Likewise Siege of Derry was part of a war, Penal laws were your "own" people and lots did leave in that time-frame. Troubles, British Army brought in etc, etc. What happens if there is no longer the backing of the British for you. I don't mean that in an ominous sense, just what are the options if a UI were to happen and Britain walks away?

I would look at that evidence in a different way:

1. If the Brits with GCHQ, MI5, 6, Uncle Tom Cobley and an enemy well past its sell-by date couldn’t stop their financial centre being attacked, what earthly hope would we have?
2. Come to think of it, why would they help us? A very big favour to ask or grant. A few drones and some advice might be all we’d get.
   

From the little I know of this matter, I imagine the chance of serious trouble up there post-UI is very small already and diminishing all the time but how much risk could we take given our utter lack of preparation for it? We’re not Finland or even Norway. We don’t have an army.

And another thing - if what’s left of PSNI couldn’t handle the problem, don’t even think about calling AGS to sort things. You’ll have a blue flu on your hands pronto. I love the guards but they’re not a horse for that course.