Brexit Ireland issue

One of the main sticking points appears to be the border between North and south Ireland. I know there were assurances made regarding the border years ago but thing have moved on since then. Southern Ireland is a different country like France or Germany so we should have a border. If neither want a border the south should have a referendum to either stay in the euro and we have a border or they join the uk and then we don't need a border. They cant and shouldn't have it both ways.

Or ask the North if they want to leave the UK? The carnage will be quite bad which ever way they vote.

Derek. Southern Ireland is NOT a different country like France or Germany. It's Ireland, just the same as it is in the north, but run by different governments.
It's like East and West Germany, or North and South Korea.

is there still two governments in germany? i thought when the wall came down it became one again

If Ireland becomes one country, where will the priestly paedophiles from Northern Ireland and the murderers from America flee to?

The Irish economy is closely tied to the British economy and at the height of the recession, Britain bailed Ireland out with a big loan, because it was in Britain's interests to do so.

The economies of both countries are so closely tied, that there are elements in Ireland, who believe that Ireland maybe be better off aligning itself with the UK rather than the EU and what that would entail I do not know, but that is not on the cards anytime soon ...

It certainly makes 'logical' sense for Ireland to be part of the UK.

What I can't get my head round is, why should Scotland have different rules to the rest of the UK?
And why should Gibraltar be part of the UK?

Whacker,
Have you got that correct? I don’t follow events closely but Northern Ireland has had a very large Protestant majority for quite a long time.That religion is administered by Vicars who in the main are happily married men. I don’t say that precludes them, as with any walk in society, from being paedophiles but iwouldn’t think it a great problem.

As regards Gibralter and considering the amount of people who cross the border into and out of Spain each day to live (shop) and work, it is reasonable to give Spain a say in how Spain will be involved in the future economic relationship between Gibralter and Spain, that does not mean that the sovereignty of Gibralter needs to be discussed ....

Well, according to 'The Belfast Telegraph', polling suggests that Northern Ireland voters will back united Ireland after Brexit!

Don't shoot the messenger! I am only passing this on.

here

Interesting reading. Thanks. I lived in Belfast for two years in the 90’s and opinions have obviously changed. I also lived in Dublin 2001/2002 and obviously the Ireland problem was debated and I always remember someone saying “ you never hear calls fora United Ireland from down here” I still sense some political chicanery in the North. See what happens moving forward.

I think that was fair comment, Broady. The latest figures are from the 2011 census and show the answers parents gave as to the religion of their children, a potent response by any standard:

“…. The 2011 census … represents the answers parents gave when asked what religion the children were, or were being brought up in. ''49.2% said Catholic, 36.4% Protestant or other Christian. ''The exact figures were 61,225 Catholics, 45,240 Protestants, 16,692 No religion, and 1,225 Other religion”

A report on population trends recently postulated that the number of Catholics was increasing faster than the number of Protestants, and that their numbers would far exceed those of the competing religion. I do not know what they are today. (https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/ catholic-population-set-to-dwarf-protestants-in-years-ahead-1-7872318)

It appears that the Catholic church is still overwhelmingly powerful.

Becoming a member of the church, does not make one a homosexual or a paedophile. Rather it is these very people who seek employment by the church. It gives them authority and power and a handsome living (the Catholic Church has publicly acknowledged that it is resigned to its priests stealing fully 50% of the weekly plate collection) and, in the case of the homosexuals, unlimited access to like minded men, while paedophiles are not only provided access to children, often the more vulnerable such as orphans and foster children, but also receive the rock hard protection and secrecy of the mother church.

In one month, I remember four paedophile priests fleeing Northern Ireland criminal charges, for the safety and protection of the church in Eire. As far as I know they are still practicing their trade among families and their children without a breath of scandal attached to their names.

So yes. I think was fair comment.

Whacker. Are you saying it's an ecumenical matter?

Tonker: are you saying that it is not?

Chickens coming home to roost . England hanging on to 6 counties in a foreign country. Oh dear , the sins of the past are back , its called payback. Thats a fine mess you got me into

Don't cha just love a good debate

You have nothing to crow about, Aussie. Your country’s treatment of the aborigines was and is far worse than England inflicted upon the Irish. One example out of thousands: Rosalie-Kunnoth Monks, an elder of the Arronto-Alywarra people, reported that her people were starving to death, denied food packages intended for their use. One elderly man with Parkinson’s disease receive two small packets, one of mincemeat and one of white bread. Rosalie said, “…the whole community including children and the elderly go without food, often on a daily basis.” Well documented is the fact that aborigines have a lot of asbestos in their homes and “… when they get fiber in their lungs and develop mesothelioma, the government doesn’t care …and they end up adding to the incredible statistics of indigenous people dying of renal disease and are vulnerable to world record rates of rheumatic heart disease.” Not to mention the Australian practice of taking children away from their parents without reason, permission or warning.

Your nation is made up of colonialists and their descendants. And pretty damn snooty ones at that, with no love for the Britain of their origin. When Australia, needing expansion, promoted Australia as a good place to live (not mentioning that you have a continent loaded with the world’s most virulently poisonous insects, snakes, mammals, birds, fish, octopus and other sea creatures) and Brits were allowed to buy a steamship ticket to Australia for only 10 pounds, Australians sneered at them as Ten Pound Poms, did their best to make them feel unwanted, and fought like hell to keep them out of good jobs. British carpenters, electricians and plumbers found themselves sweeping floors and cleaning out the toilets at the Australian schools.

Visitors to Australia are astounded by the staggering self-importance of the people. I have never seen people so full of themselves. This from an unimportant island at the ends of the earth with a tiny population of 26 million, a masculine dominated hierarchy that treats women only marginally better than Islam and is best known for only two contributions to world culture, the head butt and the boomerang.

Time to stop gloating.

whacke what a whacker you are . Have you ever stepped out of England . But then again with your level of vitriol stay where you are . Enjoy the chaos of Brexit declining living standards , falling pound , freezing cold in that little overcrowded Island you live on. The fortunate folk who live in Oz role around laughing at the mess you have made of GREAT BRITAIN . The sun set on your empire a long tome ago , it is about time you all realised that.

Whacker doesn’t live in the UK.

The term GREAT BRITAIN is generally thought to be a name bestowed on the British Isles by king James the first. Before that the Romans called the largest island GREAT and what we now call Ireland LITTLE island. Nothing to do with empire building or egotism. Another version from the mists of time is that the Elizabethans termed all six thousand islands as GREAT BRITAIN.
How exactly do Australians ROLE around with laughter?

Yes the Aussytralians had a referendum in 1999 on whether to ditch the Queen and colonial ties to Britain and become a republic, but they chose to keep things the way they were and keep the Queen.

The motto they used was "don't fix it cos it's not broken"

Why all the spiteful comments from aussie94 ?

I know of a man who emigrated to Australia just after the war and became an Australian citizen, his daughters who were born in Australia emigrated to the UK and so he decided well into his retirement to come back to the UK so he could be with his family and the UK wouldn't allow it, they made him apply for residency and turned him down and he was very bitter about it and aussie94 reminds me of him and I never knew how if you were born in this country, how could you lose your citizenship and residency rights here ?

Sir Bob

Maybe after landing down under he found out his ancestors were transported.

I think Aussie had been on the tinnies,

Winner at the 2018 Parliamentary Book Awards
Shortlisted for the 2018 Waterstones Book of the Year

Daily Telegraph's Best Books of the Year, 2018
Guardian's Best Books of the Year, 2018
Evening Standard's Best Books of the Year, 2018
Daily Mail's Best Books of the Year, 2018
BBC's Biggest Books, 2018

I have not read it, have any of you?