Northern Ireland 2125?

Thanks. Yes this thread contains two unlikely hypotheticals: a united ireland and a smaller NI. I am engaging in both.
I think we know why you won’t comment on Cornwall. But let me be more general if that helps. How do you feel about big powerful governments should react to separatist movements within their jurisdiction?

Francie I think you are one of the lone voices on here who says devolution in a UI cannot happen.
Westminster has nothing to do with it in this scenario- it is the Irish state trying to justify to the world why NI (which has developed separately for over 100 years) cannot have some autonomy. The world will expect Ireland to show some compassion to the northern Irish people in the same way as uk did, and give us our wee country. You can certainly take the role Westminster has currently.
all the logic is with my argument. OWC devolved in a UK = OWC devolved in a UI.
fair is fair!

And I honestly think the people of Ireland will choose peace and compromise of belligerence and domination.
what do others think

just seen this from a local MP: full text below

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗰𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵. This from a party who told us it would happen by 2016.

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗙 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. ❌
It is a 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 that most people in Northern Ireland don’t aspire to, and most in the Republic of Ireland.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. 💸 The economics of the Republic of Ireland are already questionable given their reliance on large corporations being there at a discounted corporation tax rate, something even the EU is trying to redress as it gives unfair advantage.

If we take the most basic of needs, 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, we have 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨.𝗞. 🏥 We don’t pay to see our GP, we have subsidised dental treatment, and in Northern Ireland we have free prescriptions. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲.

There is a reason the 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, and indeed right into Upper Bann, are full of cross border shoppers. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰. 💰Since the introduction of the Euro in 2002, prices have steadily risen.

Then let’s take into account where Ms McDonald made these comments, 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. This is the foundation for your 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁. At an event to remember 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀. People convicted of terrible brutality against people who shared this island north and south. Some who they even went to Mass with.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. They tortured, murdered and dumped their bodies at will.

The party of 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 of every passing bandwagon, didn’t care that the IRA murdered Christians, Muslims, Indians or none.
And of course even to this day they 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. ✡️ That shouldn’t surprise us, given their support for the Nazis in the Second World War.

Let them have their aspirations, anyone can aspire to anything. But we, and 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 when SF own support is waning wherever they stand.

McIvor’s constant abuse of Scotts living and NI (even though his name would confirm that he is descended from Scottish immigrants) got me thinking, why does he hate the unionist culture so much, and why does he and others want to airbrush Northern Ireland identity, history, and culture?   His constant reference to Lundy may give a clue. 

Could it be simply because it is so rich and he is jealous of it?  

I can’t think of a single victory or success Irish Republicanism has had at anything (except the Eurovision 🙂)

By contrast, the PUL community has so much to be proud of and celebrate (which we do)

Just a few examples:

Siege of Derry
Two world wars
The 36th ulster division
Defeat of PIRA
Linen, ship building and the industrial revolution
A huge marching, festival and bonfire scene
The UDR 
About 10 times as many American presidents as the Irish
Etc, etc, etc

And some on here, if they don’t believe, they fantasise, about putting a pen through it all and it all disappearing, and this Proud community accepting their country being taken away 🙃

I am a realist. I would think rejoining the uk very unlikely (but never say never).

Let me apologise and reverse from this antagonist tit-fo-tat that I get drawn into by a few disingenuous posters on here.
Do you not honestly think that over 100 years of separation (let’s not argue about who lives in the best place, because clearly we both think that we do, or we would simply move a few miles up/down the road) has grown us into two relatively distinct cultures.  

Over 100 years of different currencies, tax systems, legal systems, police forces, armies, welfare and health services, education systems, constitutions, citizenship rules, banking regimes, social policies, languages, and sporting bodies, as well as partition violence, IRA campaigns, loyalist violence, British Army militarisation, and post-Brexit EU divergence - and I’m not even touching on the soda bread and Tayto cheese and onion, etc.  

would you not see benefits in maintaining the richness of the two countries working together, the attraction to tourists alone to visit the two distinct regions. 

If the day ever comes where a majority of the people of the two countries decide we want to unite in a kingdom on this island, that even shares the same Saint, then we could achieve so much working together and respecting each other in the same way as e.g. Wales and England currently. 

I get painted here by a few as some sort of extremist, but I can absolutely assure you that you will find few in my community whose thoughts could even stretch this far, having sustained the onslaught of sectarian violence from the IRA.  

Let me also be clear that I personally would find it absolutely impossible to cooperate in anyway with a united Ireland in which Northern Ireland was absorbed. I would hate it.  I know I would be pushed in the other direction.  

When we just think back to something like Drumcree, and how it dragged both communities close to Civil War (again let’s not waste time on arguing how it was correct or otherwise). The point is, if a 7 minute parade could bring us close to Civil War, what do you really think trying to absorb us into a state that has felt like our number one enemy for our lifetime would do? And remember you would have plenty of the McIvor and Francie flag-waving types trying to wind our community up.  It would be a powderkeg.

Those are honest questions?

There are clearly a few posters on here – and you’re not one of them – who everything I say try to take it to the extreme for the very reason that they don’t like moderate posts.  Just read a few of the recent responses, that don’t even comment they are so far from what I was saying.  

Setting all that aside - why do you think Northern Ireland currently has devolution?

I completely understand why our romantic wannabe soldiers of Ireland on here don’t want devolution in the scenario of a united Ireland. But I do not know why the Irish island would not embrace it in the same way as the British mainland embraced it.