Is Northern Ireland’s Political Crisis Finally Over? 

The leopards ate their faces

How dare Unionist have a political preference

@@robert6106to say nothing of them having a two year tantrum and causing untold problems to the country they’re meant to be in charge of, eh?

@@robert6106 if they love england so much, maybe they should go there

@@robert6106Nobody suggested they couldn’t. But if you act on those preferences you have to accept the consequences. The best part of a decade wasted trying to square the circle they helped create.

The thing is - the current structure is deliberate. Two years without a government might have been frustrating, but without power sharing you might actually have a war, which is obviously far worse.

​@@im_Carlislelet's be more specific - the politicians that profited from decades of conflict are not willing or able to fix them. Look how many convictions Sinn Fein ministers have, and how much money the DUP have skimmed off. With them in charge, things won't change.

​@@alexpotts6520 as somebody living there this is nonsense 25+ years on. It is also unfair to parties would would want to form a coalition of the willing such as alliance + other parties. The fact ir. is some people want people to be living in fear and the DUP feeds on that for their support. The largest labour protest in NI history happen just before this announcement that should tell where the average person's patience is I don;t think it is coincidence.

@@paulthomas8262 Oh for sure there have been big issues with power sharing. But given that the current arrangement is the result of peace treaty, by messing with the arrangement you're surely risking the peace, right?

If it's not one, it'll be the other. It was Sinn Fein last time. I mean our Councils can't collapse like this, why do we put up with this system for Stormont?

How very British (see also the Mandate for Palestine)

@@supersocashow3176What?

@@Finnbobjimbob The British only got control over the regions of Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait after the fall of the Ottoman Empire because they (and the French) allied Arab freedom fighters (with the promise of an independent united hashemite Arabia) and then betrayed them by carving up the regions for colonies, or "League of Nations Mandates". This is part of why countries like Iraq and Syria are so dysfunctional, their borders were not drawn to work as independent countries but to support British and French Imperialism.

@@smuu1996 The borders of Israel and Palestine were created by the UN. And last time I checked, there is an independent Arab nation.

​@@supersocashow3176See also British dealings with India and China

Therefore suggesting that a united Ireland is the only long term solution.

​@Conal792 Absolutely not. That might be a solution acceptable to you but not everyone.

Say that to British Anguilla, they're fuming too they can't visit the rest of the EU Caribbean including it's best friend franco dutch saint Martin

@@CT99234 That or an independent country of Northern Ireland, that’s neither part of the UK nor of the Republic of Ireland

@@coyotelong4349would be a very weak and resource Poot nation, more so than Ireland

I don't see that at all as it's power sharing. They are no closer to a United Ireland than the SNP is to getting gaining their independence. There's a long way to go.

Unionist population is now very old and shrinking rapidly. Nationalist population is very young and increasing at a breakneck speed. Do the maths. ==Irish Unity

@Cacbo774 Are actually trying to suggest that Loyalists don't have children while catholics breed like rabbits? 😅😅😅 Your logic and delusion is priceless.

"Closer" that implies it will happen, in the the last poll (2020, the height of the brexit crisis) only 27% of NI people said they would vote for independence. Now with the rise of migration from the UK and the rise of the "nones".. Good luck.

​@NordieJ everyone knows irish people have more children than unionists, Northern ireland will inevitably reunite with ireland

Self sabotage even Putin would be proud of.

Sinn Fein in power is useless if they have to collaborate with unionists and Westminster

I would disagree, Sinn Fein may now have a first Minister in Stormont but the power sharing in Stormont will result in no greater a risk of reunification, Sinn Fein are only playing into their own rhetoric. There isn't really any difference between Sinn Fein being in power than the SNP running Scotland.

@@garagefridge8930 But there's a big difference here. At any point Northern Ireland can vote to rejoin the Republic, in which the UK just has to take the L if they do. There's no Scotland situation here where they have to plead and beg parliment for it. Sinn Fein will try their hardest to get that through, and, if they have enough momentum, will happen

Absolutely clueless I’m guessing you’re not from Northern Ireland!? The polls are showing a united ireland isn’t even close in fact they’ve widened recently Stop throwing around Sinn Fein IRA propaganda that keeps the stupid people under control A simple google search dis proves this stupid nationalist myth

Dup: can northern ireland actually be a proper part of the union Westminster: no

@@lightningstrike5024 *_Correction_* DUP: Can Northern Ireland actually be a proper part of the Union *_and_* force the Republic of Ireland to leave the EU market against their will for our convenience? Reality: Wtf!? *No* ! What the hell are you even talking about?! Jesus, you thought Farage and friends were being honest, didn't you?...

@@BoojumFed westminster wont let their be an eu land border because they unironically think it could start another war w/ ireland

@@lightningstrike5024 Westminster won't let there be a land border with Ireland because they're old enough to remember the slaughter caused by a land border, yes. And don't kid yourself. The Troubles weren't a war, they were a _Civil War_ where combatants on both sides rained terrorist cruelty on each other's civilian population. Half the Irish here in Canada were people getting their children out of the blast zones of the indiscriminate Ulster Defense/ Irish Republican bombings.

@@BoojumFed terrorism is a problem for he police to solve, not bureaucracy that skerts around the sides of it. and its not 1916 anymore

Youre kidding, they get paid to not work?!?

@@Becore1217 True, it's the most expensive daycare we all pay for.

Have, never of!

@@michaelmccarthy9411 people still understand what he's saying. It's a RU-vid comment section FFS not school.

​@@beltrofix7667 and it's a youtube comment not a c3, chill

Nothing secret about it, it's the only long term way of keeping Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK without GB submitting to the same trade regulations as the Republic of Ireland. At that point they might as well just rejoin the EU, which obviously isn't happening any time soon.

The only ways you could logically avoid having either a land border on the island of Ireland or a sea border between parts of the UK would be if a) Ireland ALSO leaves the EU, forming a little two-country trading union with the UK instead, b) Northern Ireland leaves the UK and rejoins with Ireland, which stays in the EU, removing the need for a sea border, or c) the UK annexes Ireland, removing the need for a land border. Of course, there is the elusive option d) just not starting this clusterfuck in the first place, but clearly that had no takers. Since b) or d) weren’t on the table, either the unionists were thinking Ireland would join in on Brexit, or they were thinking they could force Ireland to join the UK down the road. …or they weren’t thinking at all, just acting on pure id like a toddler who wants to go outside but also refuses to wear pants. Which is probably the most likely scenario, all things considered.

​@@CanonessEllinor Couldn't putting some type of customs checks between Ireland and continental Europe also be a solution? Option e I suppose

@@CanonessEllinor Annex the Republic??? There wouldn't be a brit safe anywhere on the Planet!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

​@@kevindevane6175Why would that be ? That seems like a threatening comment.

Agreed indeed !

It will be a permanent political crisis until reunification finally happens.

Same here lad - Anguilla

It probably never will be. Northern Ireland was only ever envisaged as a temporary solution to the problems of 1921. The solution lies, as acknowledged in the GFA, in relationships between the (at least) two communities that live there, relationships North- South and East- West. Much more work needs to be done to ensure an agreed peaceful outcome. Brexit has derailed the peace, but it must be got back on track.

@@seandoherty925 Northern Ireland should be allowed to enjoy the same full "brexit benefits" as the rest of the UK, it would be all over next month.

Loyalists will just bring back the troubles to avoid that for a good while yet, need to be a few generations to avoid them being able to do any significant damage

No one said anything when Sinn Fein did it for 3. No one says anything when SF refuse to take their Westminster seats.

Yeah but to be fair that was also because of the massive scandal the DUP caused... And cost the tax payers £500 million to fix....

@@tjclarke1892 They did and they do, what planet are you living on? In case you don't remember, Sinn Féin left the Executive because Foster refused to step down for the RHI scandal investigation and the DUP were reneging on legislation required by the Good Friday Agreement for Irish language recognition. Expecting transparency in a corruption investigation and demanding promised legislation from your forced coalition partner is a very different thing to this bizarre blackmail of the British government. Also, Sinn Féin MPs technically don't take a salary.

@@tjclarke1892 SF announced before what they intended to do. And because they never took the Westminster seats, they are not paid. Yes, they block these seats, but they are less upstructional than DUP.

yes massive crisis ,but it seems life just carries on as normal, makes you wonder if politicians are the problem not the solution?

Wtf would you know. Brexit wasn't delivered like it was meant to be fool

Their vote was basically bought too. Wanted their cake and to eat it.

Exactly

And the dark money they received to pay for nationwide television ads in support of Brexit.

Interesting view. So ok it the highly unlikely event of Irish unification. If County Antrim and county Down vote in favour of staying in the union, and the British and Irish governments then come to some agreement where those counties remain with one foot in the UK, treated differently to the other 30 counties. By your logic the nationalist people in Antrim and Down will have nobody to blame but themselves because "they voted for it"

@9inchsnails829 as I grew up in England in the 1970's I was always told that the IRA,Sinn Fein and the Republican movement were the "bad guys",since the D.U.P. supported Johnson Brexit bollocksathon I have learned that the D.U.P. are the real criminals;lying,scheming,slimy Tories by another name. I despise the D.U.P. and anything that is the opposite of what they want is good by me,long live Ireland and may the Irish nation be as one!,bollocks to the D.U.P and all they stand for.

Us irish don't hate England... we will do trade... It's money. No matter is it's North East, South or West.

@@PaulMuzik Just to clarify my man, not saying that there is animosity toward England, just that people that voted for Brexit and are now suffering the consequences are morons and should own up to the situation we're now in as a nation

It took a long time as when it was carve up for a 70% unionist majority ,

Fella don't always believe in fiction especially what star trek, the north will be annexed into republic soon. But not because of some prediction from a fictional tv series

Never

Sadly politics move too slowly, that prediction is basically doomed at this point. Although they also predicted it would happen by... "aggressive negotiations". So maybe, if shit REALLY gets bad in the UK for some reason, it could happen.

*MOVIES DON'T PREDICT THE FUTURE*

worse than never thought of it, mocked all concerns about it as "project fear" 😬

Brexiteers not thinking something through? Nonsense!

Which country? The (hypothetical) country & island Ireland that was conquered by the UK, or the UK itself, which I thought NI is already & still a part of ?

@@Apollorion It's a dumb statement that has no real meaning.

​@@Apollorionspastic

​@@Apollorionobviously Ireland

​@@rusticpartyeditzWhy?

Wait till they realize the union wants no part of them

Don't believe in fiction It'll happen not through violence like patrick stewart said in that episode, it'll either the happen it was intended through a referendum or without one because stormount no longer works because of the DUP

You think the people who voted for Brexit would act rationally? No, they voted to leave the EU out of nationalistic motives. It's the same mindset of people who would have voted for the British Union of Fascists around Oswald Mosley.

Well a lot of people voted leave as a protest to the agrogance of the EU, not expecting it to actually get through.

@@stephencole9289 arrogance of the EU? the arrogance of the voters is what made them vote leave.

Boris said there would be a lot of benefits. He never lie, right?

Cue some vague response about 'sovereignty' ... 🤦‍♂️

There's been several benefits. Mostly within the EU

​@@Aoskar95sure that's why they've had to cut their subsidies budgets because their second largest Contributer has left

​@@MocatafamulusdeSetsovereignty isn't vague

Yeah Sinn Fein Ira didn’t walk out did they? Or Sinn Fein Ira don’t threaten a return to violence if they don’t get what they want ? Ya daft sectarian bigot lol Clueless

"If you took NO out of the dictionary Ulster would have nothing to say"

I think the strike had a bearing ...remember the Ulster Workers strike ..??

​@@tomgreene1843I agree the strike probably was the stick that shifted the DUP but the threat of Irish involvement in direct rule definitely had a bearing as well

​@Minime163 It wasn't a "threat", it was a fact. Ireland will have a say in how the North is run in the event of direct rule. This must be so, since unionism lost its majority. We had three firsts in three years (1) a Nationalist first minister (2) census results showing that Catholics outnumber Protestants and (3) Sinn Fein winning the majority of council seats in the North, something not done by any party in the North since the 70s. But the reality of rule from Dublin is now fading... now we just need to get the North-South institutions up and running again.

@@Jcolbert123 I know that and you know that but that's exactly what unionist see Irish involvement in a direct rule scenario as.

Yes ...also the diminished Unionist influence west of the Bann and south of Lurgan added to N/S trade@@Minime163

No way! 😌

They should build statues of Johnson and Farage in Ireland, the greatest figures in Irish history.

It’s not about driving your car across. It’s about goods. EU standards being subverted, smuggling etc. And because the USA and Canada are two completely different countries, that doesn’t reflect the Irish border either. It was created artificially a hundred years ago. It divides people’s farms, it divides towns and it divides families. Some people even have their house in both jurisdictions. Their kitchen is in Ireland but their bedroom is in Northern Ireland. People cross it every day going to work or going to buy groceries. And as soon as you implement checks on goods, you’re going to create a target. That target gets fortified and we’re back to square one.

The British imposed a border on Ireland. When they go, the problem is solved forever.

US Citizens didn't need a passport to visit Canada before George W Bush screwed it up. A birth certificate sufficed.

@@Dreynomaybe they should just I don’t know unite into a single island and others who don’t like it (colonists) leave back to Scotland and England

@@krle7970There is no such thing as colonist in the 21st century. Self determination protects the right for people to remain in the territories they settled legally or illegally (before 1945). Kicking anybody out is a International Crime borderline war crime.

They never even supported the GFA in the first place, the DUP directly created several terrorist organisations but you never see mainstream voices discuss that in the same way they do about the IRA and SF.

They might plausibly want to (they did vote against it in 1998) but I don't know how they can when literally everyone else with a vested interest wants it to be maintained.

Northern Irish Unionists operated an apartheid state for most of 70 years locking Nationalist Irish out of any representation. Ardent Unionism has now been compelled to share power in Northern Ireland and they do not like it and will use every opportunity to undermine the structures of power sharing. Northern Ireland is changing with the demographic there rapidly moving towards Nationalism and unification with the rest of Ireland, ardent Unionism is powerless and frustrated with this inevitable process and this is what is largely responsible for the current difficulties.There are difficult years ahead hopefully these difficulties will not again manifest themselves into violence.

Really? As an outsider I was thinking the same thing but about the EU

​​​​​@@fitzstv8506Rubbish. Irish republicans reneged on the 1922 agreement and decided to steal back land. They did this by bringing terrorism to the streets of Northern Ireland to bully their way to power. They were no victims or freedom fighters, they were terrorists. They created Unionism. The Loyalists are not powerless, Stormont is power sharing so Sinn Fein have no more power than the DUP no matter what Mary Lou tries to portray. You are indulging in wishful thinking.

its very bad im glad i live across the border in the republic

🤡

Who is "they"? The gift is entirely within the people of Northern Ireland, and it's not obvious that there is a majority in favour yet.

yet, never been closer , unification was only @ 25% pre Brexit vote, now @ between 48/52% , DUP were warned about all this in 2015 , idiots@@alexpotts6520

@@alexpotts6520 It is entirely in the hands of the people of Ireland, not only of the people of the Six Counties.

I agree. It's going to happen at some stage anyway. It's a changed place.

You could add a zero to the end of that and it won't be settled, even if the decision was taken to have a border poll tomorrow. Sinn Fein know they can reliably gripe about a border poll, because it isn't close to happening. They have the most MEPs, but they don't have a majority of votes. If there was a border poll in NI they'd lose, without question, particularly if having a majority of the ELIGIBLE voters in favour one way or another was a condition, to avoid the clusterfuck that was Brexit. AFAIK there are no actual concrete rules for how a border poll should be conducted and woolly rules, at best, for what should trigger one. A knife-edge Brexit style referendum would trigger mass protests at best, a return to daily terrorism (both sides of the border) if not outright revolt in some areas, at worst. Currently, Ireland has a spiralling crime problem and is unfit to handle this level of social unrest. They can't even control their children. It would be ironic if Ireland required British soldiers on the streets to help police their state.

It will take a lot longer than five years, but I can see it happening eventually

In the absence of any chance of UK-EU reunification, an Irish reunification would also completely solve this problem.

@@yavuzkoroglu7792 Both of those things happening would be quite nice

Depends if the people NI want that, also doesn't solve the UK-EU break-up@@yavuzkoroglu7792

Best way to solve this is for the EU to cease to exist. The way things are going on the continent with the rise of the far right and protectionism, it looks like EU disintegration is on the horizon.

​@@cobzzy3878 Ignorant people from the U.K have been repeating that lie for nearly a decade now. 😂

Not really, like it doesn't have a set definition so it could be anything from a province to a nation depending on how you view it. Its a constituent nation of the UK, so in that regard it's a nation, but in the UN it's not sovereign so in that regard it's not a nation. Its just about perspective and anyone who gets in a big fuss over it mustn't want an actual conversation or debate and just want to be an asshole so dont deserve respect.

Not as problematic as the goddamn Tories.

The UK is a country made up of other countries. Its not problematic because the UK grandfathered it in to the rules. Now, downgrading it from being a country would problematic, and might risk the union..

It's a colony

@@AiSard it’s not a country either

We don't use the word fam over here and would say "that's shite" rather than that sucks. The DUP attempt to sound proper but their supported would sound more like "na mate, that's shite like"

Nah fam that sucks What do ye think they are teenagers or drug dealers 😂

I find the injection of ebonics in what could turn into a very serious situation amusing

@@MomMom4Cubs I wouldn't worry too much, people from here are more than used to ignorant comments and 70% of the country think that the DUP are backwards twats.

@@liamo6889 a lot of the are though 😂the DUP takes input from the LLC which is the spokesmen for loyalist paramilitaries. Loyalist paramilitaries are the ones who sell drugs in loyalist areas. Source: raised in loyalist areas. Bought my thrills from loyalist paramilitary members.

wait, there are still businesses running in the UK?

The workers march and the threat of joint rule!

Mr. Reality of the We Must Face Up To Facts family.

I mean, many people *did* spot it...

@@alexpotts6520 Lots of "Experts" Right? 😭

@@alexpotts6520 No one who stated it clearly enough.

People's memories are short. The Commission had already given the green light to there being no border at all, which is close to where we are now. That was negotiated on the initiative of then Taoiseach Enda Kenny. He began talks in Belfast immediately after Cameron announced the tabling of the referendum bill, long before the referendum result was known. The Commission agreed the no border position, because there is no other option that doesn't change Northern Ireland's constitutional status. Under the Good Friday Agreement, that can't happen without specific negotiation involving all parties to the GFA, including the guarantors, the EU and the US. The Commission issued a paper giving their reasoning. Briefly; NI is small only 1% the size of the EU economy, it is isolated from any major through EU trade routes by its geographic position, and the vast majority of trade between the UK and Ireland is in agricultural products, where the two governments have agreed a regulatory regime that was well policed and applied and was in excess not only of current EU regulations, but also in excess of any likely EU regulations in the future. This not obscure news at all. It was covered on all main news bulletins, including a complete explanation by the EU correspondent of the BBC, Katya Adler. There were vox pop interviews with people on the streets of Belfast. So the question is why wasn't this agreement simply wheeled out at the appropriate time? Varadkar's role is suspect, but there's nothing definitive to point to. However, if we look at the two major powers in Europe, we see Macron's "The British must be punished" and Merkel's "The British cannot be seen to gain". By the time Boris Johnson came along, with a clear mandate to "Get Brexit Done", they were determined to achieve these objectives, and Northern Ireland became the weapon they used. Johnson had no choice but to accept a lousy deal, leaving the mess to be sorted out later, which is exactly what has happened.

The border is not the problem. The clash between the CTA and EU single market is the problem.

Who actually wants that basket case?

@@malahammerthe Irish, who else’s opinion on the subject matters?

To reunify implies that they've been unified in the past. They were a group of small kingdoms before England went over.

@@SteezyMart majority of people in Northern Ireland don't, only 33% of Northern Ireland identified as Irish in the last census

A little bit like the second comming.

This is the astonishing elephant in the room. It was never about the protocol and the union. It was about keeping Catholics/nationalists/republicans from being the majority in a purposefully partitioned state to keep a royalist unionist protestant majority

I find it astonishing how few people are mentioning this, it’s so blatantly obvious this is the reason they refused to form a government and yet no one talks about it.

​@@bothi00I mean, the whole reason NI isn't the whole Ulster is because catholics would be the majority in that cenario.

this isnt mentioned because theres no evidence of it. if this was the problem, why did they go back in. this didnt go away?

@@megadwarf4714 oh man, you still think politicians are honest people that act in good faith and tell the truth. Bless you

No, the EU has been kept up to date with all of this

@@bothi00 Being kept up to date is not negotiaiting. The EU were not involved in the negotiations.

@@frankoneill5675 yes, it is. Because if the EU need to be assured ever step of the way, then they are part of the negotiations especially given that all of this is contingent on EU treaties and deals

Yes, they knew negotiations were going on, but had no input, and at the end, apparently, neither the EU nor Ireland (and Ireland are kept fully informed re Protocol issues) knew the detail of what was agreed. Supposedly David Cameron phoned Maroš Šefčovič to inform him and the latter said they would study the details carefully. Tony Connelly said there are flexibilities open to the UK within the terms of the Framework regarding the green lane, once they don't harm the integrity of the SM. If the EU have any objections we'll hear in the next few days. Leo Varadkar said there were 'questions' regarding some aspects of trading arrangements but he didn't think there were any 'red flags'.

The EU and EU Parliament will examine and debate the proposals agreed between the DUP and the UK Government and if it is happy that the EU single market is not compromised it will give it's approval, if it is not happy which is unlikely then the proposal cannot be implemented. Do not forget the latest agreement between the UK Government and the DUP is just an add on to the Northern Irish Protocol of the TCA and the subsequent Windsor Framework which are themselves legally binding international agreements.

Exactly. Especially when they are the only party in favour of Brexit in the first place

Not really. It's about finding the status quo, not about going too far in the opposite direction. I'm sure Sinn Fein are happy enough that the devolved parliament is returning.

Would you have preferred for the shutdown to continue indefinitely? How else was Stormont ever going to be restored?

Sinn Féin also has the power to do this. The assembly requires cooperation from both Nationalists and Unionists

@@alexpotts6520 hard to answer that. I don't believe the UK government should be at the DUP'S beck and call. They pulled it with May, with Johnson and now twice with Sunak. If they don't attend they shouldn't get paid!

Abstentionism is a legitimate position to hold. Sinn Fein don’t send their MPs to Westminster because they won’t take an oath to the monarch and don’t recognise its legitimacy to rule in Ireland. Their voters vote for them on that basis. You can’t turn around and suspend pay because it is someone’s belief that their voters are best served by non-attendance.

Nah, I say pay them minimum wages. That’ll teach um 2 lessons at once

Well its bound to really unless the polorisaition there sceased and that's less likely than ever. Orange and green politics are always going to get in the way of northern Ireland been a productive part of the UK or a United Ireland, doesn't matter what the majority want if either unionist or nationalist don't get their own way they'll bring the whole political process to a halt. That's why northern Ireland was a failed state in the past and will continue to be into the future and so the only scencible thing to do is the two governments Irish and British work together to keep the two factions from returning to violence. Alot of people mightn't like what I'm saying but the status co is the best we can hope for with northern Ireland as it's a failed entity in every way and unfortunately for supporters of a United Ireland a United Ireland would be no better than the the UK arrangement. While you would eventually quell the inevitable violence you'd have the same belly acking which would make governing northern Ireland just as difficult as it is now.

The northern Irish disagree

@@Finnbobjimbob Enjoy Sinn Féin first minister!

​@@Finnbobjimbobexactly

Couldn’t agree more. Unionists should embrace NI’s new economic advantage it has over the Republic in any future referendum. Who knows? this deal might be the worst own goal for The Republic of Ireland and the EU. As NI will benefit from international investments and could steal business from the south.

@@cobzzy3878 Northern Ireland will hopefully of course receive international investment if things remain steady there but the Republic as you call it (Ireland is the official name) will continue to gain the vast amount of investment coming to the island because Ireland has decades of experience and pedigree in this area, Ireland has developed the necessary infrastructure, Ireland has the necessary education systems to support international investment, Ireland is politically and economically very stable and Ireland remains a core member of the EU. I do hope Northern Ireland develops at pace because it will make it's transition to the United Ireland easier when unification inevitably comes.

That was apparent 6 years ago.

😂😂😂 have you seen what's been happening in Germany, France or Belgium recently? The sooner the AFD takes Germany and Marine Le Pen runs France the better. We'll see what's left or your European "Union" then

No.

Like, the thing is they're arseholes but the DUP really believe everything they say. They didn't do this to get a free holiday. They (wrongly) thought they were helping to save the union.

It’s not just about the single market. There is also a customs border between Switzerland and the EU and Norway in the EU where goods are checked. Because they are not in the customs union. In order to have an invisible border, the UK would have to join both the single market and customs union, which would effectively be leaving the EU in name only. This is why no country outside of the EU is both in the customs union and the single market.

@@cobzzy3878 The U.K. is a signatory to a treaty that precludes border infrastructure on the island of Ireland. They created Northern Ireland by carving off 20% of the island and then signed a treaty which meant they could not erect infrastructures be the cause of erecting infrastructure on that border. You’re explaining things to me that I know. I live less than an hour from the border. I have family on the other side of it. Your opinion that the EU did what it did out of spite is complete nonsense. The U.K. created the mess and the Irish Sea border was the only solution. They bear complete responsibility.

Ulster is a province You can only speak for 6 of them, but... all of Ulster belongs to the republic

I wonder which news story you're so bitter about him not taking your side on. Although if I was a gambling man I'd bet I know which it is.

Examples would be helpful

The solution is a united Ireland. It is not if, it is when.

@@fishyq5077But only when the majority in NI and the Republic want it.

Charles III is sovereign of Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein refuse to 'fullfill it's voter mandate' by not representing them in Westminister.

Give against its population will. That sounds not the right thing to do.

Agreed. What is being presented in the video is but one more kick in the can down the logical road of a united Ireland. When will Westminster politics wake up to the fact that the age of empire is long dead 🤦

I mean, there's a world of difference between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Namely: - Northern Irish nationalism is about become part of a different state; Scottish nationalism is about building a new state from scratch, which is significantly harder. - Northern Ireland already has a process in place for how this would happen, set out in the Good Friday Agreement. Scotland doesn't, which is why there have been endless arguments about the legality of a second independence referendum called unilaterally by the Scottish government. - and most obviously, a United Ireland seems to be built on demographics which are trending inexorably in one direction; whereas Scottish independence is not like that, it's more of a "normal" political issue that waxes and wanes with public opinion (and specifically at the moment appears to be waning).

@@danielwebb8402 We see positive signs of an unreligious, unnationalistic future with a mentally healthier new generation of people which is much better educated, not least regarding science, environment and climate!

​@@alexpotts6520 The thing that doesn't sit right with me though, is that Scotland voted to remain in the EU, and after the Brexit vote the call for Scottish independence was the largest is has been in decades, and there was a palpable majority for Scottish succession. The call for a reforendum was immense, but if was denied to the Scotts, since if it was given then, the result would've been obvious, which would've been detrimental to the rest of the UK. You're saying that it's waning again, and if that's true, what happened to self determination? It would be so insulting if a couple of years down the line, when all the permanent economic damage and divergence from the EU and subsequent 'forced' integration and alignment within the UK would have made Scottish independence/rejoining of the EU very difficult, for there to be an reforendum then, when the will/spirit of the people has simmered down, almost gone to sleep, by years of perpetuation. Maybe a bit too philosophical, but hopefully you get what I mean.

*thank you!* been repeatedly disappointed at tl;dr's biased coverage of issues from norn iron

You do know, Northern Irish good can go straight to England or Wales?

?

Speak for yourself. This Brit cares very much about the integrity of the union, and takes exception to describing a member of the UK as a "millstone".

I'm in the middle. As per the Good Friday Agreement, we don't really have a say anyway, it's entirely for the people of Northern Ireland to decide. I'm sure reunification will happen one day, but until that point, the UK government has a duty of care for people in both communities in Northern Ireland. They are human beings, to speak of them as an unwanted burden is pretty misanthropic really.

@@alexpotts6520 It's for the pollation of Ireland to decide

@@joshcain1032 Its not been worth the deaths of thousands of innocents, as well as Troops, the Billions of investments that has been wasted trying to placate its people, its religious nonsense, the heartache and the constant political issues.

Why do you care about the integrity of the union though ?​@@joshcain1032

It doesn't take a genius to work out that if that border shuts people are going to die. It's within the interests of everyone with a head on their shoulders to keep it open.

And that sounds very welcoming to unionists. Keep talking. It makes a united Ireland even less likely than it already is.

Funnily enough, they do literally deny that a meteor ever fell on the dinosaurs. Those fossils were just put there by God as a test of your faith, don't you know?

"Dinosaurs denying the meteor" is quite the analogy, considering the DUP quite literally do deny the dinosaurs, the meteor, and anything else more than 6000 years old.

*Border

You do realise that Great Britain doesn't actually have any say at all in where Northern Ireland ends up, right? The terms of the Good Friday Agreement state that that the only thing required for Irish reunification is for Northern Ireland to vote for it. So if you're annoyed that Ireland is still split, that's entirely down to there not having been a border poll yet; and probably still a small unionist majority. (On the grounds that Alliance have been doing far better in unionist than nationalist areas in recent elections, reasonable to assume that most of their voters are unionists.)

It’s not England’s choice to hand it back, it’s up to the people of Northern Ireland and SF are only the largest party because the DUP vote collapsed and lost some of its voters to a more extreme unionist party. Nationalists don’t hold a majority in Northern Ireland and there are also many non-aligned people in the north who will just vote for the status quo in any referendum.

⁠@@alexpotts6520exactly, alliance voters are hardly calling for united Ireland. It safe to assume they will vote for the status quo. Their vote seems to get left out of the equation, many of them proudly hold both British and Irish passports.

@@cobzzy3878 (Nonetheless, the DUP should take a long hard look at itself. It must actually offer something to voters outside of the Ulster question because that alone is no longer enough to win elections. And I don't think throwing a two-year hissy fit will have helped them.)