How long before Irish reunification?

You have to think for yourself on this. Whenever the topic comes up, you will get the scaremongers shouting about how awful this will be for everyone. They don't have a clue how it would work out but they will continue to shout. It's a bit like with the abortion referendum, these people will do anything to try to get their way.
Truth is, we would need a big discussion on what it would entail. The EU and Britain will give huge funding towards this. We already have loads of cross border initiatives, in all parts of life. Economic, social, the huge majority of sporting organisations are cross border. We are all very similar on this island. What huge difference is there between the people of Donegal and Derry? Monaghan and Fermanagh?
Being a member of the EU would be hugely beneficial for the people in the north. Also, those who support the rights of the lbgtq community should be in favour of reunification and women's rights activists.
It would take a lot of work to draw up the details but if done right, this is a great opportunity for all Irish people.

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

We respect our past (the good and the bad). Nordies seem to want to continue living in it. I've nothing in common with such people and wouldn't want anything to do with them

Would you say the same thing if ROI independence never happened and the people the Republic were still under the control of the British monarchy?

Nationalists in the North were subjugated to serious discrimination and appalling conditions and civil rights violations, many of them who witnessed it are still alive And bare those scars, you were lucky enough to be born into a republic free from all those problems post independence. I find the view of many people in the South hypocritical on these matters because those very people in the Nationalist Northern terrorities fought for Irish Independence but got left behind and they too have a lot to do you you living in an independent state today free from the civil rights abuses and segregation they suffered from in the North for decades after.

I think many people in the Republic have very short memories because it suits them to have it that way. In the North, 900 years of history doesn't just dissapear in 20 years and many of the problems that exist there are governmental mismanagement and a gerrymandered border that should have never existed. Much of what you have seen in your lifetime in the North was what was going on all over the Country 100 years ago, the South had civillian guerrillas, partisan policing and social unrest in the very same circumstances as the North has faced since partition. The people in the South take great pride in gaining Independence like that but many of the same people label those in the North as delinquents for wanting to break free from it. The hypocrisy of it is rife.

On how far away unification is, I think it's very far away yet and even with my highly Nationalist tendencies towards a United Ireland, it's not something I want to see without unionists been welcomed and given concessions even in the event of a majority landslide for a United Ireland. History can't repeat itself again but this time against Unionists because we all know how important identity and rights are in North.The GFA was a miracle in itself and trying to renegotiate the other way around for a second time will be a serious can of worms as well. I do believe it's a partition that was destined to fall from the very beginning and should never have existed because of it's fragility, desperation moves by both sides lead to partition within partition and it will never last.

2011 wrote: »

Many have this romantic view of a united ireland, but few have actually thought of how the reality would work in practice. There is the cost for a start, every second person in the north seems to be some sort of civil servant. People up there also have certain expectations in terms of public services which we are incapable of delivering on. As has been pointed out already we would have to deal with intransigent unionism. On top of all of that we would have to deal with terrorists groupings on both sides who would have have to keep "the lads" busy with criminality / drug dealing /extortion etc. to an even greater extent than they do now. Our security forces are not equipped to deal with that.

The underlined above is the big question mark. The Brits (to their credit in some ways) saw the inequalities in NI which led to the restarting of The Troubles and sought to address that by buying peace as a policy. By pumping money in, providing more jobs, better housing and facilities - look at the number of public swimming pools up there as a measure. There's a nice fairly well heeled cross community middle class now who live in comfortable suburban houses and who are bank rolled by the state. No way they'll be looking to give that up too quickly.

I used to think of the unionist community as more characterised by business and industry and I think they still are to some extent but it's industry with a small 'i' now. That they'd be pragmatic at the end of the day and see that they'd be better off throwing their lot in with the south. But I think they've been subverted too by the lure of public funding and state jobs, so that business incentive has been dissipating. From their POV, they may as well cling to the Union as that pays the bills.

We could introduce the Éire Nua system of federal governments. This will have huge benefits for Munster, Connacht, Ulster and Leinster.

2011 wrote: »

.....and regardless of how the vote goes in the north the ROI is highly likely to vote no to reunification. The end.

You are just making that up. The end.