If rejoining the UK meant jobs and an end to austerity, would you?

Sound of Silence

philologos wrote: »

The Bank of England have published quite recently that things are improving in the UK and that the worst has gone. From seeing things in London it looks like there is plenty of work at least.

Are you sure about that?

The UK Economy has been contracting for the first three Quarters of this year.

golden lane

Sound of Silence wrote: »

Are you sure about that?

The UK Economy has been contracting for the first three Quarters of this year.

and the uk is in negotiations with the usa.......they want to join...

ArtSmart

LordSutch wrote: »

Ireland has never be part of England, but being part of the UK is another story.

I was just cutting to the chase, ye mad ravin loon ye*.




(*mod note, i aint being insulting, it's an inside joke to those who know politics in 80's Britain)

Fenian Army

Things were far worse under the Brits than we have it now... stupid idea.

Davidius

I'd much rather we look after our own affairs both domestic and foreign. Our problems aren't going to be solved by self-denigration and looking for somebody to save us from ourselves. People need to get active and do so persistently, not sit at the computer complaining about how terrible we are.

charlemont

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Things have changed. The question is would we join now for an end to austerity.


The highlighted ones sound freckin' amazing!

Ha, They do indeed, That's life across the water and if it was replicated here the whingers would go into overdrive..

wendell borton

Why would we want to join with a country thats ****ed, the society over there is fracmented with no shared culture exept for x factor and tabloit ****.

Capt'n Midnight

Look what happened Scotland when they joined up with the UK back in 1707 'cos they were strapped for cash.

Not only didn't they get much money then they even lost the income from North Sea Oil now.

old hippy

wendell borton wrote: »

Why would we want to join with a country thats ****ed, the society over there is fracmented with no shared culture exept for x factor and tabloit ****.

It's not all bad, a chara. There's plenty of culture, innit. You just have to get involved and drink it all in. In London, anyways. If you think we all watch X Factor and read the red tops, doesn't that say more about your own short sightedness?

But yes, I can't see why the Republic would want to be part of the UK. It's an insult and I'm assuming the people who do want it are only interested in money.

Mickey Dazzler

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

Mickey Dazzler wrote: »

I would eat the Queens arse out .

Fair play to you.

Il Trap

I feel absolutely no affinity to UK culture or society. I hate British TV and much of its modern popular culture. I'm not anti-British but it annoys me that this question posed by the OP is given any credence whatsoever. He/she might as well have asked 'would you join France?'

(PS. I am well aware of the shared history of the two islands so I don't need to be informed about that)

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

Given the choice of been bled dry by the EU or joining the UK, the UK is a better choice.

After all, we're already closer to the UK is so many way.

As for austerity, the UK is having just as bad a time of it as we are but for slightly different reasons. But, all this economic angst stems form the same issue, the end of growth caused by the limits to growth. In other words, supplies of raw materials, fuel & food are being constricted due to the inability to infinitely expand their extraction.

Capt'n Midnight

If you think we have a lot of wind turbines now...


Then again they might fund the Dublin Underground and the tunnel to under the Irish Sea.

I say we join up, milk them for what we can get and then declare independence.

Leftist

seems like every few weeks there's a would you rejoin the uk thread. Peculiar and obsessed.

summerskin

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

The UK wouldn't want Ireland anyway.

old hippy

summerskin wrote: »

The UK wouldn't want Ireland anyway.

Oddly enough, I have met people over here who believe that Ireland is part of the UK

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

old hippy wrote: »

But yes, I can't see why the Republic would want to be part of the UK. It's an insult and I'm assuming the people who do want it are only interested in money.

You say that like it's a bad thing...

But it's not only about the money. Ireland is too small to be a country on it's own, never mind five sixths of it. Joining the UK won't happen though. It's not subtle enough for the nationalists to swallow it. Instead I can see both of us being merged into a European super block. Which I would actually welcome provided it was democratically organised around the same lines as the US.

old hippy

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

You say that like it's a bad thing...

But it's not only about the money. Ireland is too small to be a country on it's own, never mind five sixths of it. Joining the UK won't happen though. It's not subtle enough for the nationalists to swallow it. Instead I can see both of us being merged into a European super block. Which I would actually welcome provided it was democratically organised around the same lines as the US.

Aren't we already in an EU superblock & it's working so well, innit

I'm no nationalist but it's nice to have a wee bit of independence, rather than be one big homogenous blob, no?

WesternZulu

old hippy wrote: »

Oddly enough, I have met people over here who believe that Ireland is part of the UK

Me too...a surprisingly worrying amount!

old hippy

WesternZulu wrote: »

Me too...a surprisingly worrying amount!

Those that I've encountered fall into 2 categories - poorly educated or just blatantly arrogant about it.

The former, when you point out the way things actually are, I've found tend to be apologetic. The latter just laugh it off and patronise you.

WesternZulu

old hippy wrote: »

Those that I've encountered fall into 2 categories - poorly educated or just blatantly arrogant about it.

The former, when you point out the way things actually are, I've found tend to be apologetic. The latter just laugh it off and patronise you.

I've hear it from University educated people.

On one occasion I have had once such person ask was I sure that Ireland not part of the UK as he could swear that his passport said 'Great Britain and Ireland' as opposed to 'Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.
He was convinced that I was wrong!

Best part is that guy did Geography as his degree and didn't know anything much about his countries nearest neighbour.

old hippy

WesternZulu wrote: »

I've hear it from University educated people.

On one occasion I have had once such person ask was I sure that Ireland not part of the UK as he could swear that his passport said 'Great Britain and Ireland' as opposed to 'Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.

Best part is that guy did Geography as his degree and didn't know anything much about his countries nearest neighbour.

It still surprises me how little our nearest neighbours (or some of them, shouldn't generalise) know about us.

That said, I do love London and it's eccentrics and mix of people. I don't want to stay in the UK (13 years and counting) but if I had to, it couldn't be anywhere else but London.

Ellis Dee

The best efforts to generate jobs and the prosperity that will end austerity will have to come from ourselves, because we know better than anyone else what our strengths, possibilities and needs are.:)

Anyway, joining a union that would make us a subordinate region of a larger sovereign state with its own objectives and aspirations will not be the answer, irrespective of whether it is the UK or the Galactic Federation. Every empire has its ups and downs and we would still find ourselves rising and falling with the conjunctures of the larger entity no matter what we did.

Anyway, I don't want to find myself swearing allegiance to King Billy IV and his missus, no matter how nice her boobs are.:)

golden lane

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

You say that like it's a bad thing...

But it's not only about the money. Ireland is too small to be a country on it's own, never mind five sixths of it. Joining the UK won't happen though. It's not subtle enough for the nationalists to swallow it. Instead I can see both of us being merged into a European super block. Which I would actually welcome provided it was democratically organised around the same lines as the US.

the uk may be out of the eu very soon......just having trade agreements....

that is what most people thought they were having when they voted for joining...

billions later......they have paid a punishing cost.....

Capt'n Midnight

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

If you think we have a lot of wind turbines now...


Then again they might fund the Dublin Underground and the tunnel to under the Irish Sea.

I say we join up, milk them for what we can get and then declare independence.

Yes, my thinking was was partly along those lines, the UK's energy supply is in deep shít as the North sea oil & gas fields deplete and production declines rapidly along with other fuels. The UK will always buy as much energy and food as Ireland could ever produce and more so into the future.

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

old hippy wrote: »

Aren't we already in an EU superblock & it's working so well, innit

I'm no nationalist but it's nice to have a wee bit of independence, rather than be one big homogenous blob, no?

I wouldn't say the EU as we know it now will exist in a hundred years. Instead of being a collection of independent nations it will be organised along the lines of the US with one federal government in Brussels ruling and each state having it's own local capitol.

But what's independence? Independence from who? The idea of the nation state is a relatively new one and I can easily see it diminishing in importance as technology increases and trade links become smaller and more numerous. The world is getting smaller and more connected everyday and in the future we're going to see nations merge into each other. Probably around the three industrial centers of America Europe and Asia.

golden lane wrote:

the uk may be out of the eu very soon......just having trade agreements....

that is what most people thought they were having when they voted for joining...

billions later......they have paid a punishing cost.....

The UK will not leave the union there's no precedence for any state leaving and the British government has no aptitude to go it alone.

golden lane

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

I wouldn't say the EU as we know it now will exist in a hundred years. Instead of being a collection of independent nations it will be organised along the lines of the US with one federal government in Brussels ruling and each state having it's own local capitol.

But what's independence? Independence from who? The idea of the nation state is a relatively new one and I can easily see it diminishing in importance as technology increases and trade links become smaller and more numerous. The world is getting smaller and more connected everyday and in the future we're going to see nations merge into each other. Probably around the three industrial centers of America Europe and Asia.


The UK will not leave the union there's no precedence for any state leaving and the British government has no aptitude to go it alone.

the british people will decide....they are fed up paying for others in the eu...
there will be a referendum.....the people will decide...

and there will only be one referendum.......with no eu input.....

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

golden lane wrote: »

the british people will decide....they are fed up paying for others in the eu...
there will be a referendum.....the people will decide...

and there will only be one referendum.......with no eu input.....

Very unlikely. Cameron will make noise about a referendum to appease tory backbenchers but he has no intention of calling a referendum on British succession from the Union.

golden lane

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Very unlikely. Cameron will make noise about a referendum to appease tory backbenchers but he has no intention of calling a referendum on British succession from the Union.

watch this space......remember sterling is still about, the great experiment in the euro has failed.....

the uk has already set a precedent.....wait for number two....

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

golden lane wrote: »

watch this space......remember sterling is still about, the great experiment in the euro has failed.....

the uk has already set a precedent.....wait for number two....

The euro hasn't failed? That's news to me I just bought a wrap in town. What you mean is the euro might fail. And you're right it might. But this will be used as an excuse for closer integration. The idea of a single currency won't be given up on. What's the number two I have to wait for? Does it have anything to do with my wrap?

Chuck Stone

summerskin wrote: »

The UK wouldn't want Ireland anyway.

They wouldn't get us even if they did. History has shown that.

twinytwo

everyone who voted yes, is just typical of the metality of the wasters in this country, rejoin the brits for a few jobs??

twistyj

relieved at the no votes and shocked at the yes votes

LordSutch

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

Releived at the yes votes as it means I am not alone.

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

twistyj wrote: »

relieved at the no votes and shocked at the yes votes

Why are you shocked? Frankly I'm shocked only 41% of people in AH put financial security ahead of nationalist notions. Will an independent Ireland feed your children or provide a roof for your family?

twistyj

Also, just for a second can we just let go of the whole what if we rejoin the uk blah blah blah, its always the uk.

I hate this mentality people have that "oh sure we might get this and we might get that if we do" and you'd swear Cameron is there waiting every day with open arms for us.

And what about the brits, would they even have us (not that I want to find out)

People, we are our own country, we make our own decisions and we can get out of this ourselves, Iceland did it and so can we.

Why dont we join Kazakhstan??? Or China??? Two countries whos economies are getting stronger by the day.

Iwasfrozen

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

twistyj wrote: »

Also, just for a second can we just let go of the whole what if we rejoin the uk blah blah blah, its always the uk.

I hate this mentality people have that "oh sure we might get this and we might get that if we do" and you'd swear Cameron is there waiting every day with open arms for us.

And what about the brits, would they even have us (not that I want to find out)

People, we are our own country, we make our own decisions and we can get out of this ourselves, Iceland did it and so can we.

Why dont we join Kazakhstan??? Or China??? Two countries whos economies are getting stronger by the day.

We have no historical ties to Kazakhstan or China. And are we even a country? It's debatable. We've had independence for less then 100 years after 400 years of unity with Britain and for the Pale much longer. With Britain we forged the greatest Empire the world has ever known and we fought countless battles beside them. Some times I think people forget that.

ejmaztec

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

We have no historical ties to Kazakhstan or China. And are we even a country? It's debatable. We've had independence for less then 100 years after 400 years of unity with Britain and for the Pale much longer. With Britain we forged the greatest Empire the world has ever known and we fought countless battles beside them. Some times I think people forget that.

We'll probably be owned by China after they've dropped a plane-load of brown envelopes onto Leinster House. It'll be McMurrough all over again.

jugger0

Everyone voting yes should be hanged for treason.

WanabeOlympian

If we were to join another country I would suggest a successful one! However it is irrelevant as we are in the European 'Union'. This idea doesn't make sense.

It would make more sense to build up Ireland again and strive to be successful like other small wealthy and successful EU countries... Denmark, the Netherlands and the non EU, Norway and Switzerland could be comparable to Ireland in population/size. If we strive to be like these countries we would be far more successful.

Part of the unsuccessfulness of Ireland would be looking to the UK for ideas/policies when clearly the UK is not a superior country in their policies or economy when compared with the countries mentioned above.

Sound of Silence

LordSutch wrote: »

Releived at the yes votes as it means I am not alone.

Of course you're not alone :rolleyes:

Plenty of people here would love to have Irish spending subsidised by the British Government. Hell, Northern Ireland is subsidised to the tune of £6 Billion a year - every year.

It's either a sign of immense British generosity or simply the fact that they are incapable of making it a successful State. The fact that “77.6% of Northern Ireland's GDP is dependent on state spending" is an indication that the British would be no better at coping with the Republic than we are; not to mention the fact that there Economy has continued to shrink in the last year.

As someone who lives in Northern Ireland, I'd ask you to continue embracing your pipe dream.

Chuck Stone

To the people who voted yes the poll question may as well have been 'would you like some money' for all the thought they've put into it.

golden lane

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

The euro hasn't failed? That's news to me I just bought a wrap in town. What you mean is the euro might fail. And you're right it might. But this will be used as an excuse for closer integration. The idea of a single currency won't be given up on. What's the number two I have to wait for? Does it have anything to do with my wrap?

close your eyes....the eu nightmare may go away....

WesternZulu

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

And are we even a country? It's debatable. We've had independence for less then 100 years after 400 years of unity with Britain and for the Pale much longer. With Britain we forged the greatest Empire the world has ever known and we fought countless battles beside them. Some times I think people forget that.

We are just as much a country as anybody else!

And as for forging an empire with Britain, I think that if we had been seen as equals and as a key part of this empire that we wouldn't have seen the poverty that Ireland as a country had to endure.

We're one of the few countries, if not the only, in Western Europe not to have an industrial revolution.
If we forged this great Empire with them how come we couldn't even forge any sort of industry in our own country besides insignificant small farm holdings?

Have a bit of pride in your country, this doesn't mean you are a RA head.

Do you honesty think that anybody in the UK would say lets join some country they share a common history and culture with who are economically doing better than them like Australia or Canada....would they hell contemplate losing their independence, and either should we.

walrusgumble

the keen edge wrote: »

I'd like to vote Yes, but I'm afraid what the neighbours would think.

Not everyone can be bought, some people have some understanding of self worth and respect for their homeland and wish for self determination.

Irrespective of the country, I am pleasantly surprised that the majority are not that desperate to jump ship. I could understand fully people who lived through the dark days, by as for the Celtic cubs, ye lot are spineless weasels.

The author of the poll it a bit dismissive in labeling the no referring to rabble rousing etc, in fairness he or she knew that a lot of 800 years irrelevancy would come up. I doubt anyone would hang about if dying either, millions did not hang about during the 1840s as you know

Funny with the yes people,(I am not referring to you poster) if they were part of th UK they might be whining about being there when it does not suit them, unless they are west brits.(yeah got your answer so if you still feel strongly, the boats and planes are ready to go.hope you get what you want)

I thought things are not too rosy in Britain at the moment.

Sound of Silence

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Why are you shocked? Frankly I'm shocked only 41% of people in AH put financial security ahead of nationalist notions. Will an independent Ireland feed your children or provide a roof for your family?

You do realise that it's a scenario with literally no basis in reality?

Joining the Union would never guarantee a job. The OP purposely created a unrealistic hypothetical in order to sway the results in favour of Union.

summerskin

NO! I rather die on me feet than live on my knees.....800 years...de Brits...rabble rabble

Chuck Stone wrote: »

summerskin wrote: »

The UK wouldn't want Ireland anyway.

They wouldn't get us even if they did. History has shown that.

You were a tiny country with only agriculture as an economy, with a non existent army. Do you not think that if the British wanted to keep you for even one minute they would have quashed the rebels?? Think about it. The military might of Britain could have overrun this island in days.

But they never wanted to. There was, and is, nothing in Ireland that is worth occupying on an economic level. Otherwise you'd all still be under the Queen, just like us northern englishmen who wish we weren't, but were in an area rich in coal, manufacturing etc

walrusgumble

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

twistyj wrote: »

Also, just for a second can we just let go of the whole what if we rejoin the uk blah blah blah, its always the uk.

I hate this mentality people have that "oh sure we might get this and we might get that if we do" and you'd swear Cameron is there waiting every day with open arms for us.

And what about the brits, would they even have us (not that I want to find out)

People, we are our own country, we make our own decisions and we can get out of this ourselves, Iceland did it and so can we.

Why dont we join Kazakhstan??? Or China??? Two countries whos economies are getting stronger by the day.

We have no historical ties to Kazakhstan or China. And are we even a country? It's debatable. We've had independence for less then 100 years after 400 years of unity with Britain and for the Pale much longer. With Britain we forged the greatest Empire the world has ever known and we fought countless battles beside them. Some times I think people forget that.

You must be slow. The last time I checked we were an individual member state of the EU , have our own parliaments answerable only to the EU on a voluntary basis via referendums for each treaty that comes out, and sadly like most countries, big companies. We have our own national flag and culture irrespective of people trying to loose it , independence is still there .


As for your take on history , ha. The same wars included wars against Irish people who sought for independence of their own lands. Irish men either through genuine love for Britain, or worse for money, had no qualms quashing Irish people who wanted something different. When it took to politics the system tried to humiliate such figures by conspiracies and show trials ans even imprison elected members on forged and unsubstantiated allegations.

As one poster correctly pointed out, Ireland, outside Belfast and Derry was never allowed to establish industries of worth. Did little to allievat famine (though such economic attitudes might have aapplied elsewhere in the UK)

Even the king acknowledged that Ireland was a country. He was king of both Great Britain AND Ireland. I don't expect you to cope on to this but his is how Dev got rid of the reference to the King and Oath on the change of king in th 1930.

You think people forget about British use of violence and economic superiority to colonize the world. Seriously Irish People? HA HA HA HA HA . By all means one can't ignore that ordinary Irish people got stuck in but this we carry on, delusional. What was that O'Connell said about Wellington.........

Under Britain we were the forelock tugging arse lickers and par time monkeys, according to Punch

You seem to ignore many Irish men fought for America against the British too. You seem to forget that Irish men too help to change the face of the commonwealth via statue of Westminster, which led to some leaving.

You wan to be British go there, (including the North)

Chuck Stone

summerskin wrote: »

You were a tiny country with only agriculture as an economy, with a non existent army.

We don't do armies. We do asymmetric warfare.

Remember, the Brits actually had to travel by helicopter around bandit country.

Now think 'bandit country' only multiplied by about 10. Now, add to that that there'd be queues of people signing up to do things like this .

The British economy would be wrecked and they pull out pretty quickly.

Drumpot

Sort of shows the short term minded , shallow manner in which people will sell their "vote" or stance to the whatever might benefit them most in the short term . .

I think as a country we already sold ourselves, to a large degree, for promises of financial riches and that hasnt worked out too well.

We are still a relatively young self ruling nation, with not even 100 years on the clock, but sure modern society is all about the now . . Instant gratification at any means possible, with as little effort as possible. .