After Brexit I'm now in favour.

And with the republican Sinn Fein party may only one seat behind the DUP (unionists), it seems that a united Ireland is now inevitable.

Good news for the UK taxpayer - as NI costs us £1 billion every MONTH, to pay their bills. Few on the UK mainland have any interest in the place.


Scotland though is another matter - on the same island and with oil as complicating factors.

Wales should be sold...

And surely Sturgeon has done exactly the right thing; if Scotland want to stay in the EU (who wouldn't?) they must split from England before the rest of the UK leaves the EU. Good for her; I rather like her - as a fan of Alex Salmond.

May's tunnel vision comment was spot on though.

Independence at all costs - even if the next vote/referendum/poll is against.

She - and her one tracked party will just call for another.


At a cost to those trying to live and prosper in Scotland....Now

what a dilemma for May and the Howling Brexiters.

I know people who are already seeking out Scottish grandparents etc to see if they can become a citizen in the way Irish citizenship is granted on just one Irish grandparent.

Theresa May must now do 2 things:

1. continue to claim (which she never believed as a Remainer) that splitting up a union (the EU) is a Wonderful Thing for the UK.

2. At the same time she must continue to claim that if the UK union splits up (Nth Ireland next?) it is a Terrible Thing.

Despite the conservative pundits moans Nicola Sturgeon has wedged May into a corner in the game of politics.

Mark my words, Nigel Farage ( fellow traveler of Vlad Putin and all his useful idiots) will go down in history as a complete rogue and the Man Who Broke Britain's Heart.

I would far prefer Sturgeon as PM to May.

Most of my Scottish family members voted to remain in the EU but will also vote to remain in the UK.
They are totally different issues. An independent Scotland, with limited industry, would have little to offer EU, and find it's bill for membership more than it could pay. Scotland could suffer the same fate as Greece.
The Scottish parliament would have to raise taxes to record amounts, just to try keep afloat.

An independent Scotland is a romantic fantasy.

PaulB wrote:
An independent Scotland is a romantic fantasy.


As is a united Ireland - but it doesn't mean it won't happen!

The Republic of Ireland was hit very badly by the 2008 recession - and virtually all the banks were bailed out by the EU. Then they were nationalised.

Massive debts are still outstanding and the economy is recovering, very slowly.

Northern Ireland costs the UK Exchequer £12 billion a year, to cover their net deficit.


But notwithstanding all of this - if there was a vote whether or not to have a united Ireland - the answer would be YES...

The whining Jocks can moan all they like, when push comes to Shove the majority haven't got the bollocks to vote in favour of independence from England.

They know where their bread is buttered.

Carl wrote:
The whining Jocks can moan all they like, when push comes to Shove the majority haven't got the bollocks to vote in favour of independence from England.

They know where their bread is buttered.


Well, most of the seats in the Scottish Parliament are held by pro-independence parties - 45% of voters wanted independence in the 2014 referendum, and voted accordingly.

Spee wrote:
PaulB wrote:
An independent Scotland is a romantic fantasy.


As is a united Ireland - but it doesn't mean it won't happen!

The Republic of Ireland was hit very badly by the 2008 recession - and virtually all the banks were bailed out by the EU. Then they were nationalised.

Massive debts are still outstanding and the economy is recovering, very slowly.

Northern Ireland costs the UK Exchequer £12 billion a year, to cover their net deficit.


But notwithstanding all of this - if there was a vote whether or not to have a united Ireland - the answer would be YES...




You're correct about the Irish economy (in fact, all six Irish retail banks required 'bailouts', while the Irish subsidiaries of the UK banks with operations in Ireland also suffered huge losses - in fact, a high % of the losses Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS suffered were sustained in Ireland!) but I'm not convinced a referendum would pass, as it would require majorities on both sides of the border.

Fair point - but Sinn Fein's recent electoral gains in Northern Ireland are significant. Now only one seat behind the DUP and both unexpected and unprecedented.

Not long ago, a Belfast Telegraph poll suggested that 70% would vote for a united Ireland - although that result may have been superceded by Brexit.

Another relevant factor is the birth rate!

Much higher in the Catholic (republican) community the the Protestant (unionist) one.


So those in favour of a 32 county nation are numerically increasing faster...

Carl wrote:
The whining Jocks can moan all they like, when push comes to Shove the majority haven't got the bollocks to vote in favour of independence from England.

They know where their bread is buttered.

Don't sit on the fence, Carl. Tell us what you really think.

Actually I agree with you.