Cost of a United Ireland and the GFA

All of Ireland was in the union. If Ireland cant leave the union as one unitary jurisdiction why should Scotland.

You say it is laughable that Ireland is out of the union in one unitary state. Do you think that scots who are pushing for independence are laughable for wanting this. Are we going to have to invent new boundary lines for Scotland and make it fedral?

Also by your crusty logic if NI was to vote to leave the union it should be partitioned again into a part that wants to stay in and it is laughable for NI to exist as a unitary state outside the union...... which is true as it would have zero chance in working. It is a failure as devolved within the UK and would be failure as devolved within a UI or as independent.

It does have an identity and culture of its own but does it have an area where it is a majority. The boundary line of NI was invented to give OWC a majority. But if it is out numbered by nationlists in that jurisdiction then what happens. You have to accept its over for OWC having its own majority jurisdiction. It would break the GFA to redraw the NI boundary to give OWC another majority. Good old gerrymandering is over since GFA. Even belfast now has more nationlists than unionists. So if the people did vote for a UI are you saying we need to find a new boundary line in a in a fedral ireland that has OWC as a majority. Will belfast be its main city? Why should the nationlists majority of belfast be put in this new jurisdiction against their will. A UI would be the end of OWC having a majority jurisdiction in Ireland. At least it would happen in a time when there is equality and rome loosing its grip of dublin.

No one wants to redraw a border. And it is you that is sectarianising it. The northern Irish identity is one of the few things here that is not sectarianised and people won’t let you try to sectarianise it.

So politics of living in a contested jurisdiction is the only thing that people of NI have in common..... that isn't something cultural. Again NI has nothing cultural that uniquely unites its people. It is not a nation of people no matter how hard you try to convince yourself it is. OWC might have its own unique culture but over half the population of NI are not part of it today.

Alot of people hate the fact they got trapped in the Jurisdiction. But you say you love these people too. You love all the nationlists too who dont want NI to exist?

You have a very dated and sectarian view of ni identity. We are learning to respect eachother. I know lots of people you would call nationalist who describe themselves as northern Irish. You need to realise they, their children, their parents and their grand parents have never lived in Ireland; and you need to go back many more generations to find any roots outside the Uk. I think you don’t get this.

we are working on the most difficult bits. The bits of each of our cultures which can be perceived sectarian and exclusive. Here is a photo just from last night, of local catholic kids, who love the GAA, asking to get playing the big drum at the local loyalist parade. These kids are breaking ground, challenging us all. Challenging nationalists who think loyalist band parades wouldn’t welcome them and challenging unionists who think those in the GAA are all hardliners.

this is going on under the radar. We have kids in east Belfast dipping Their toe in the GAA.

This challenges me. I have argued that the GAA need to remove the sectarianism and the nod to militant republicanism. But yet I admire these kids for not demanding that loyalist band parades are squeaky clean before they show an interest. Maybe I need more courage like these kids

we could learn a lot from kids like this. Fair play to them.

Allow yourself to be challenged!

The counterpoint being the other photos from Moygashel with tricolours and posters of Leo Varadkar on the bonfire. You can claim little snippets around this time of year that show how welcome people are, I could point to lots of folk from Unionist backgrounds being part of the GAA or Arlene being welcomed to the Ulster final, but you accused the poster of having a dated and sectarian view for asking what cultural points unite the people of NI, and I think you're being pretty ridiculous if you point to the goings on of the marching season as an example.

I call myself Northern Irish, I couldn't tell you what the culture of, 'OWC' is; I suspect most of what you consider it to be is Unionist culture; bands, parades, the pageantry of the various Orders.....but they're not the culture of over half the people that make up, 'OWC', much like you wouldn't view the GAA and Irish Trad as part of yours.

I can think of plenty of things that our shared history gives us in common, not much of it that I'd describe as, 'culture' that I'd like passed down to my kids.

None of that takes away from the above image as a positive step, but it exemplifies how separate the communities are that it is even something that requires comment rather than demonstrating a unique, shared NI culture.

Do you really believe that the two countries could seamlessly be United under the trappings of the old roi. It’s absolutely nuts to think that there will ever be a completely United island. Not sure there ever has been in history, except when policed by the Brits.

do you really see me eg feeling the ss and the tricolour are mine ?

So when you call yourself northern Irish what do you mean?. What is it that makes you northern Irish?

and no I don’t see marching etc what makes us northern irish

We just repeat what the 'UK' has done.

That's 3 countries and a number of statelets, or regions unified under one centralised government.

Because it will be just one region here, which has very few economic, social and cultural differences, unification will be much simpler here than it was in the UK.

Sure there will be arguments and differing and competing political ideologies going forward but that like the UK, or anywhere else is absolutely normal.

The only reason it needs to be federal is to appease Unionism. That's the bottom line here. Unionists and partitionists want to maintain partition in another form basically.

It’s absolutely fine for Scotland to be one state. It’s been that way for centuries and very settled. But if orkneys want devolution then I think it should be considered

This ‘distinct’ culture you cannot pin down

YOU are claiming a distinction here...please tell us what it is?

So the GAA in the 6 counties is different? The rules are the same the leagues are the same. In what way is GAA different in the north from the south other some clubs and counties are in a different jurisdictions.

The trobles in NI mainfifested from the fact the jurisdiction existed and didn't have equality in the first place. Every unique "culture" of NI you are trying to invent just comes from a jurisdiction. A jurisdiction where majority rule doesn't work or power sharing is not working. A failed jurdicition.

The irish language was banned in NI but again that is failure of equality in the Jurisdiction as the irish identity was being suppressed under majority rule. Are you counting NI political failure to have equality as one of NI unique cultural characteristics? Then you wonder why so many people living there want the jurisdiction to be put to bed and not exist in a UI.

I don't know about breakfast. Does an irish breakfast in Donegal differ from one in Derry?

As well as a unique language that most place names north and south derive from.