Nationalist support for Union revealed

[Tankie]

A united ireland could be possible in a number of different formats. I think the SDLP (like FG) would be happy to see a united Ireland within a British Union.

Simply not true. SDLP and FG wish to see an independent united Ireland. There is a lot of childish analysis on this thread. You could be politically in favour of reducing taxes, while simultaneously believing that this year when the government was in large deficit was not the year to reduce those taxes. You can work for a United Ireland while accepting that this is not going to happen immediately. The people of Ireland have indicated that they wish a majority in NI to agree to a United Ireland and the nationalist parties in the 6 counties, both SDLP and SF are working within the system to achieve such a majority.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. They may wish to see an independant united Ireland but I think they would be happy with a united Ireland within a British/Irish Union. They have agreed on the wish of the majority but the SDLP have made no effort to say what type of UI they might want. SF have said they want a Republic. FG have said on an number of ocassions they would like to see a British/Irish Union of independant states. I think the SDLP would look for this type of arrangement.

well if it aint a republic what would it be, home rule?

also if it aint a republc i cant see many down south signing up to a united ireland!

[Zapatista]

well if it aint a republic what would it be, home rule?

also if it aint a republc i cant see many down south signing up to a united ireland!

Perhaps as a commonwealth realm.

[orangeman]

34% of answers are made up as they go along.

Seriously though, I used to work for the NI Statistics and Research Agency and it was the highlight of my day reading through the p1ss take answers answers people give to surveys.  As well as that it was obvious that some of the people paid to stand around the entrance to shopping centres asking people 'could I could have 5 minutes of your time' got bored after 1/2 an hour when everyone told them to f^&k off and had to get a certain number of responses per day where just filling in the surveys themselves.  It certainly makes me a bit cynical when I see the results of surveys now.

Do you agree with me that there are more than 16% of SF supporters who want to remain in the union ?

[Tankie]

well if it aint a republic what would it be, home rule?

also if it aint a republc i cant see many down south signing up to a united ireland!

Perhaps as a commonwealth realm.

Hmmmmm..... I really dont have much desire to be linked to Britain. I will be happy enough to wait for you boys to start going at it like rabbits to get the numbers up! 

[Zapatista]

Hmmmmm..... I really dont have much desire to be linked to Britain. I will be happy enough to wait for you boys to start going at it like rabbits to get the numbers up! 

Sure we all live in Dublin now.

[armaghniac]

FG have said on an number of ocassions they would like to see a British/Irish Union of independant states.

If Ireland is independent, it can join various arrangements with other countries. One hopes it would be in the EU for example.  If Scotland and Wales were free from the Saxon yoke I'd seem some merit in having some British/Irish arrangements. Who does object to this?

[Tankie]

FG have said on an number of ocassions they would like to see a British/Irish Union of independant states.

If Ireland is independent, it can join various arrangements with other countries. One hopes it would be in the EU for example.  If Scotland and Wales were free from the Saxon yoke I'd seem some merit in having some British/Irish arrangements. Who does object to this?

i dont see what the point of it would be. what can Wales or Scotland offer us?

[Rav67]

34% of answers are made up as they go along.

Seriously though, I used to work for the NI Statistics and Research Agency and it was the highlight of my day reading through the p1ss take answers answers people give to surveys.  As well as that it was obvious that some of the people paid to stand around the entrance to shopping centres asking people 'could I could have 5 minutes of your time' got bored after 1/2 an hour when everyone told them to f^&k off and had to get a certain number of responses per day where just filling in the surveys themselves.  It certainly makes me a bit cynical when I see the results of surveys now.

I worked in market research for nearly 3 years and near half of it was made up in our place.  And then when people are on the phone for ages they'll just start saying "yes" or 1 or 2 or whatever it is just to make it go faster and that's if they dont hang up.  Add into that the way they join surveys together makes them innacurate, I remember doing one survey down south which lasted about 25 mins if done properly that started off being about banks, then went onto religion, then lolipops, then the u-21 hurling championship and finished off with a question about the Irish government's complicity in rendition because of Shannon airport!  People thought you were just some nordie **** taking the piss!

[Evil Genius]

"The fundamental principles on which Sinn Féin was founded were outlined in an article published in 1904 by Griffith called the The Resurrection of Hungary, in which, noting how in 1867 Hungary went from being part of the Austrian Empire to a separate co-equal kingdom in Austria-Hungary. Though not a monarchist himself, Griffith advocated such an approach for the Anglo-Irish relationship, namely that Ireland should become a separate kingdom alongside Great Britain, the two forming a dual monarchy with a shared monarch but separate governments, as it was thought this solution would be more palatable to the British."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Griffith

Plus ca change...

[Onlooker]

Any poll that claims that 45% of Northern voters would vote for the Tories in the next General Election has no credibility in my view.  Does anyone really believe that the Tories are going to win a load of seats in the next General Election in the North.  Not a hope.

[orangeman]

I think the poll is credible - Tories are on the rise and at least 16% of SF supporters support the  gravy train Union.

[donalmac99]

Nationalist support for Union revealed


UUP leader Sir Reg Empey has welcomed the poll's findings

By Staff reporter

A SURVEY of Northern Ireland voters has found significant support among nationalists for maintaining the Union.
The YouGov poll has revealed that almost a third of SDLP supporters (28 per cent) would be happy to remain in the UK. And only a minority of their voters (44 per cent) wanted a united Ireland.

Perhaps more surprisingly, still, 16 per cent of those surveyed who were Sinn Fein voters said they too would opt for the Province remaining in the UK.

In all, across the supporters of the five main political parties here, 55 per cent wanted to remain in the UK; 24 per cent supported a united Ireland; the rest either back independence or had no definite opinion.

The poll was commissioned by the Ulster Unionists and Conservative Party as part of joint research to inform their merger talks

UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said: "While all polling must be treated with caution, I thought the figures were very stark and should be a great source of encouragement to unionists because they suggest that if unionism conducts itself in the right way, it could appeal to a much broader base.

"It was not a total surprise to us that there is a significant pro-Union support amongst what is ostensibly a 'nationalist' electorate when you refer to the party they feel comfortable with voting for, for other reasons."

Conservative shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said: "I think more and more people, post the Belfast Agreement, St Andrews, the Referendum, are interested in issues and especially national issues across the UK.

"The poll confirms there is a demand for what we are currently talking about with the Ulster Unionists, which is national politics, and that people do look more to mainland Britain than perhaps to southern Ireland."

Coincidentally, DUP MLA Nelson McCausland has said "the nationalist community no longer believes in the inevitability of a united Ireland".

Mr McCausland based his assertion on the findings of a straw poll conducted at the West Belfast Talks Back event held as part of the West Belfast Festival.

"A clear majority did not believe it would happen," he claimed.

The YouGov polling was done in May of this year.

maybe they surveyed nationalists that had just returned from seeing what a bollox galway is these days