N.Ireland as a federal state within Ireland.

[cgcsb]

The union in britian itself has been a bit shakey since devolution. The Tories seem to want to hammer the final nail in the coffin. In a way I suppose it was only a matter of time and the Scots may very well vote for independence in the future.

What are are your views/thoughts on N.Ireland becoming a federal state within Ireland?
The culture, politics, history up here has morphed into one of its own seperate from the south, not to mention the demographics.

Would some sort of political autonomy within an all-Ireland be the best way to go for everyone up here, especally with the whole identity thing?

How exactly would it work in an all Ireland, pros and cons?
..and if you disgree with the idea, what would you suggest be the realistic alternatives?


Its an open debate, feel free to speak your mind.



PS: No bile and bitching lads, keep it cival..or at the very least
constructive. :wink:

it's an interesting idea. personally i would like to see all of Ulster incl. Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan, semi independant. As well as the other provinces being semi independant with the capital being relocated to Athlone for neutrality purposes. That way in the Ulster parliment Unionists would be represented but be in the minority so they couldn't get into any funny business

[Westie24]

A reunification of Ireland can only happen peacefully if certain things happen. Firstly, the nonsense ancient anti-Brit rubbish in nationalist Ireland ends. Britain is our nearest neighbour and realistically English Scottish and Welsh people are our 1st cousins. Most Irish familes have relatives in Britain.

We always were and always will be entitled to self determination because the majority of people in Ireland choose it. The English should have accepted that long before 1916. But that's history and this is the 21st century. Modern day English politicians are respectful towards Ireland so we can't keep singing about years ago. Nobody would speak to Germans if we lived in the past.

Ordinary Unionists in the North are decent and fair people who simply feel they'd be excluded in a United Ireland. If you don't like GAA or speak Irish then you can't really be Irish is the republican rhetoric. Being Irish, of course, is determined by birthright; not politics or religion. There needs to be acceptance on both sides that we all created the division. Unionists were entitled to their political beliefs. Maybe back in 1921 Ulster Protestants would have been trageted and descriminated against. They didn't cover themseves in glory either in the 70s. However, times have changed and Ian Paisley and his anti-catholic, anti Gaelic nonsense doesn't belong as a leader of any people in the 21st century. He is a dinosaur and his generation on both sides are the same.

Young people on both sides have to come together and bring an end to centuries of lunacy. Our differences really are small. There is no culture more similar to the British culture than the Irish culture. And vice versa.
The divide is propagated in Northern Ireland by politicians and bigots. Until the ordinary people, especially Unionist, realise that their Southern brothers are more interested with getting on with life that ancient hatreds, then they'll forever feel under siege. This may well have been the case 100 years ago; but it isn't any more and a fair solution is very attainable wherby Ulster Protestants can define their own sense of Irishness without feeling alienated from their countrymen who happen to come from a different tradtion - not a polar opposite tradition .