Partitionist media

[T Fearon]

The GFA was a final settlement (Clinton,Blair and Ahern all believed this regardless of the waffle),all of Irish nationalism urged its misled followers to vote for British rule in the North.Constitutional change by consent was always available long before the GFA.I remember a border poll in the North in the early 70s.The only thing different about the GFA was that Dublin gleefully deleted Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution thus abandoning its rightful sovereign claims to the whole island.

Let's face it Blair and Ahern assumed that with an agreed power sharing government in the North,the politicians would soon become embroiled in day to day politics and all its problems to worry about the border,and indeed that Catholics would settle down and be comfortable with the status quo.This plan was working very well up until Brexit when, and only when, this threatened the free state economy,the Dublin Govt took an interest in trade borders.

[LCohen]

The GFA was a final settlement (Clinton,Blair and Ahern all believed this regardless of the waffle),all of Irish nationalism urged its misled followers to vote for British rule in the North.Constitutional change by consent was always available long before the GFA.I remember a border poll in the North in the early 70s.The only thing different about the GFA was that Dublin gleefully deleted Articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution thus abandoning its rightful sovereign claims to the whole island.

Grow up.

Rightful sovereign claim?

RoI has a rightful claim to NI even if a majority in the north don't want it?

In the grown up world a majority in NI was needed before and after GFA. GFA got the paperwork tidied up to make life a bit easier for the slow learners

[BennyCake]

They endorsed reality i.e that until a majority of 6 Cos residents vote otherwise the status quo of the 6 Northeastern Cos.under British jurisdiction would remain.
If we had voted NO to the GFA would the Brits have packed their bags and gone home?

Nope, they'll go home when they've stolen all the gold in Greencastle.

[seafoid]

The GFA was an attempt to put a lid on the Troubles. You can't have a final settlement in a polarised space that is 45:55 with the majority share falling by 1% a decade.

There is a lot of reluctance in the south to take on NI. The question is where this feeling comes from. Is it manufactured?  Is it unrelated to how the Southern media presents the 32 counties?

[LCohen]

The GFA was an attempt to put a lid on the Troubles. You can't have a final settlement in a polarised space that is 45:55 with the majority share falling by 1% a decade.

There is a lot of reluctance in the south to take on NI. The question is where this feeling comes from. Is it manufactured?  Is it unrelated to how the Southern media presents the 32 counties?

Of course there is a reluctance to take on NI. Who would want us. We are a basket case. We can't go it alone (economically or otherwise). RoI doesn't have a broad enough back to take us on. UK does have a broad enough back but we are an increasing pain in their hole. Currently being magnified by us being the fly in the brexit ointment

[Rossfan]

So apart from Nuking or fracking ye what's to be done with ye at all?

[seafoid]

So apart from Nuking or fracking ye what's to be done with ye at all?

The pension system will blow up in a few years. We need to start investing in regions instead of bonds that are hopelessly overvalued.

[T Fearon]

Leonard,the South removed its sovereign claim to all of Ireland when it willingly deleted Articles 2 and 3. There was a lot of cosmetic waffle from Bertie at the time about unity but the GFA was seen by Dublin and London as a final settlement.

Apart from the fact that unionists will always oppose unity (regardless of economics,hell or high water) there is not and never has been any vision from the South (much less a costed plan) for Unity.

So no point in deluding yourselves about something that's never going to happen.

[seafoid]

It won't be long until unionists are in a minority. What will happen then?

[Rossfan]

They're already a Minority - just a slightly bigger but declining one than the Nationalists.

[T Fearon]

Throughout my lifetime It has never been long since Unionists will be in a minority.Nothing will change,there will be a fudge,threats of violence to scare Dublin and London, or in the very best case some form of re partition.

[LCohen]

Leonard,the South removed its sovereign claim to all of Ireland when it willingly deleted Articles 2 and 3. There was a lot of cosmetic waffle from Bertie at the time about unity but the GFA was seen by Dublin and London as a final settlement.

Apart from the fact that unionists will always oppose unity (regardless of economics,hell or high water) there is not and never has been any vision from the South (much less a costed plan) for Unity.

So no point in deluding yourselves about something that's never going to happen.

Anthony,

Subtleties remain forever beyond your reach.

It's the "rightful" claim that I was questioning.

Of course there is no costed plan? Why would there be? It's not really a serious proposition.

As for unionism there certainly is a group within it that looks at the constitutional position of NI without any consideration for economic realities or even common sense. Likewise within nationalism. Hard to credit either group. But we live in a democracy and political parties have a terrible habit of serving up the pap that an unthinking audience finds it easy to swallow.

[LCohen]

It won't be long until unionists are in a minority. What will happen then?

Define long in this context?

[T Fearon]

In all of the Political talks from Sunningdale,Anglo Irish,Good Friday etc to resolve problems here a United Ireland was never once on the table.This is because both London and Dublin know it is not a viable option.

In 100 years, after willingly agreeing to partition,the South has never once seriously advocated for a United Ireland or even envisioned what one would look like.

Now the cultural differences between Northern and Southern Catholics are so great as to be virtually irreconcilable,even leaving unionists out of the equation.

Not one person on this Board today will see a United Ireland.Fact

[LCohen]

In all of the Political talks from Sunningdale,Anglo Irish,Good Friday etc to resolve problems here a United Ireland was never once on the table.This is because both London and Dublin know it is not a viable option.

In 100 years, after willingly agreeing to partition,the South has never once seriously advocated for a United Ireland or even envisioned what one would look like.

Now the cultural differences between Northern and Southern Catholics are so great as to be virtually irreconcilable,even leaving unionists out of the equation.

Not one person on this Board today will see a United Ireland.Fact

Anthony,

You play around with this issue.

There is no immediate prospect of a united ireland.

There is nobody actually working towards a united ireland.

I agree with you on these 2 points.

But you keep repeating crap about ROI using Foreign Affairs to cover NI, RoI giving up their "rightful claim" etc. Can you clarify that you back the principle of consent and are happy for RoI to not actively work towards a UI?