HOW WOULD YOU VOTE IN A BORDER POLL?

[Lar Naparka]

I see Leaky Leo has just announced the establishment of an "economic corridor" between Dublin and Belfast, linking all 8 local authority bodies along the way. Dunno exactly what that means as Leo was sparse on details.
However, I feel the latest move to forge closer lions between Dublin and Belfast is no random one-ff affair.Jim O'Callaghan's proposals and the Cork TD's call for UI discussions all coming at the same time don't look coincidental to me.
I'd say there is a concerted move between Dublin and Westminster to forge closer social, cultural and economic links between North and South with political syncing coming last of all.
Unity by slow degrees in other words.
It's obvious that the opposition to SF's call for a border poll now is coming from the established parties in the South and to a lesser extent from the SDLP and Alliance. I think the possibility of Arlene and Sammy % Co. looking for a border poll just doesn't arise.
Both FF and FG have had talks with both the SDLP and Alliance in the recent past and I'd say there is a lot of inter party talks going on right now with the knowledge of London.
Mary Lou is a shrewd operator and doesn't want to be left behind and since the Shinners are easily the most popular party on the island, she's determined not to be sidelined.
I think the ground work isn't close to completion right now but things are gradually coming together.

[seafoid]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

NI is never going to be the same as Mayo because a certain proportion of the peple do not identify as Irish. The best that can be hoped for is some sort of fudge.
If NI were the same as Mayo the armed struggle would have won.

[clonadmad]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

[Snapchap]

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

You think only 26 counties were involved in the pre-partition Tan War then?

[yellowcard]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

This is a very poor take. How can anybody make such a generalised sweeping comment about who is more Irish than another. As a northerner I don't see myself as any more or less Irish than anyone in the south. But being told that I am neither Irish nor British but 'something in between' is just an insult. I'm not sure if you're just trolling but if not you show a complete misuderstanding of identities. It reminds me of the time Billy Sheehan sang God Save the Queen to try and rile up Ciaran McKeever before a match. 

[Tubberman]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

This is a very poor take. How can anybody make such a generalised sweeping comment about who is more Irish than another. As a northerner I don't see myself as any more or less Irish than anyone in the south. But being told that I am neither Irish nor British but 'something in between' is just an insult. I'm not sure if you're just trolling but if not you show a complete misuderstanding of identities. It reminds me of the time Billy Sheehan sang God Save the Queen to try and rile up Ciaran McKeever before a match. 

It was seafoid who said that, and as his name suggests, he mainly talks shite.

[Armagh18]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

*gave up half way.

[Lar Naparka]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

This is a very poor take. How can anybody make such a generalised sweeping comment about who is more Irish than another. As a northerner I don't see myself as any more or less Irish than anyone in the south. But being told that I am neither Irish nor British but 'something in between' is just an insult. I'm not sure if you're just trolling but if not you show a complete misuderstanding of identities. It reminds me of the time Billy Sheehan sang God Save the Queen to try and rile up Ciaran McKeever before a match. 

It was seafoid who said that, and as his name suggests, he  talks shite.

Mainly??
I regard myself as Irish and it's not a big deal as I get on with my life. I never feel my identity is threatened in any way. I know it's far different for Nationalists in the north and I do understand their frustration at being unable to live in an atmosphere with an Irish ethos.
But Sammy and Arlene are Irish also and have as much right to call themselves so as I have. I have met numerous Unionists who don't look on themselves as British and resent being called so. Like the monstrous Ulsterman who stood beside me at a match in Lansdowne Road one day and nearly buckled me when he gave me a hearty thump on the back.
"I'm as good a sportsman as any," sez he. "I'd go anywhere at any time just to see England get stuffed."
He had a Union Jack wrapped around his shoulders and saw nothing incongruous with that.
Like many other moderate Prods I have met, he could carry both identities easily.
People like him would regard themselves as  Unionists in broad terms but absolutely despise the UDA/UVF factions.
Northern posters on the board can speak with greater authority on this but I feel that a large swathe of Unionists realise that England would be glad to get rid of them and would be amenable to the idea of a UI if the safeguards were in place.

[tonto1888]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

Typical free state guilt trip statement here

[Angelo]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

Typical free state guilt trip statement here

He's just a troll, little evidence of any intelligent or well constructed posts from him.

[sid waddell]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

There's a bizarre sort of stage Irishness with a minority of Northern nationalists - like you get with a lot of Irish Americans, or old time London Irish

A sort internal dissonance or insecurity - they feel they have to constantly prove their Irishness, but they try to fool themselves that that conscious, over the top performance makes them more Irish - it doesn't, and misunderstands what Irishness is

The DUP do this with Britishness as well

Eamonn Collins sort of lifted the lid on the internal contradictions felt by some northern nationalists when he stated that despite embracing the over the top caricature of performative "I'm more Irish than you"ness for many years, he actually felt much more at home when he was in Derby than in Dublin - the streetscape, the million little everyday things people did, England felt more "familiar" than Dublin, which felt more foreign

And certainly Glasgow seemed much more familiar and less foreign compared to Newry or Belfast than Dublin did

[GiveItToTheShooters]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

NI is never going to be the same as Mayo because a certain proportion of the peple do not identify as Irish. The best that can be hoped for is some sort of fudge.
If NI were the same as Mayo the armed struggle would have won.

Nonsense, typical free stater partitionist attitude who knows fa about the north.
A certain proportion in the north can identify however they please, that's nothing to do with the Irish in the north. There is plenty in the south that do not identify as Irish.
The north IS the same as Mayo.
The difference is (can't believe I'm having to spell this out) that the south sold the north up the river and the British state establishment in the north had greater power in the "armed struggle".
I'd say you're one of the boys that would vote against a UI.

[GiveItToTheShooters]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

Partitionist free stater in we fought and won shocker
The only difference is you had the shame to sell out a part of the country. And therefore, you didn't fight for your identity hard enough, you didn't "win" at all.
You're the type of boy who'd vote against a United Ireland cos it might cost you a few quid.
Embarrassing

[trueblue1234]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

There's a bizarre sort of stage Irishness with a minority of Northern nationalists - like you get with a lot of Irish Americans, or old time London Irish

A sort internal dissonance or insecurity - they feel they have to constantly prove their Irishness, but they try to fool themselves that that conscious, over the top performance makes them more Irish - it doesn't, and misunderstands what Irishness is

The DUP do this with Britishness as well

Eamonn Collins sort of lifted the lid on the internal contradictions felt by some northern nationalists when he stated that despite embracing the over the top caricature of performative "I'm more Irish than you"ness for many years, he actually felt much more at home when he was in Derby than in Dublin - the streetscape, the million little everyday things people did, England felt more "familiar" than Dublin, which felt more foreign

And certainly Glasgow seemed much more familiar and less foreign compared to Newry or Belfast than Dublin did

That insecurity might have come from decades of attempts to strip us of  our Irishness by multiple British Governments. I wouldn't expect you to understand or have emphathy with that. It's beyond you.

[sid waddell]

The 6 counties are always going to be treated differently because of the polarisation. Currently they are neither fully Irish nor fully British but something in between.
In a United Ireland that would not change.
It will be heartbreaking  for Northern Shinners to live in a country that is not a romantic republic straight out of the Wolfe Tones.

Free stater mindset clear for all to see again. People in the 6 counties are as Irish as you, if not more, as they've had to fight for their identity.

Nordie in I'm more Irish than you shocker

only difference is we fought for our identity and won

There's a bizarre sort of stage Irishness with a minority of Northern nationalists - like you get with a lot of Irish Americans, or old time London Irish

A sort internal dissonance or insecurity - they feel they have to constantly prove their Irishness, but they try to fool themselves that that conscious, over the top performance makes them more Irish - it doesn't, and misunderstands what Irishness is

The DUP do this with Britishness as well

Eamonn Collins sort of lifted the lid on the internal contradictions felt by some northern nationalists when he stated that despite embracing the over the top caricature of performative "I'm more Irish than you"ness for many years, he actually felt much more at home when he was in Derby than in Dublin - the streetscape, the million little everyday things people did, England felt more "familiar" than Dublin, which felt more foreign

And certainly Glasgow seemed much more familiar and less foreign compared to Newry or Belfast than Dublin did

That insecurity might have come from decades of attempts to strip us of  our Irishness by multiple British Governments. I wouldn't expect you to understand or emphasis with that. It's beyond you.

I didn't criticise Northern nationalists who have an insecurity about their identity

I would think it is quite difficult not to have some

Interestingly, I have known Northern Protestants from a soft Unionist background who have told me they felt much more at home living in Dublin than they did in England, so it can work the other way too

I think something that is common to both Nationalists and Unionists is that some of them are hankering over a bygone idea of "pure" "Irishness" or "Britishness", almost a 1920s idea of either

Those things don't really exist any more, the world has moved on and so have Ireland and Britain, much as some people are angry about that