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Category: Northern Ireland

Six weeks tomorrow could mark the beginning of the end for the United Kingdom as we know it

Six weeks tomorrow could mark the beginning of the end for the United Kingdom as we know it

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Pressure for Irish unification could just be the beginning One of the features of Brexit, particularly a no deal one, is the impact that it could have on the integrity of the United Kingdom. There has been polling already in Northern Ireland about how people would feel there about the Union in the event of a no deal Brexit. The numbers don’t look good for those backing the union and under the Good Friday Agreement the Secretary of State for…

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On this day lets not forget the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the troubled province

On this day lets not forget the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the troubled province

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Wikipedia Let’s not forget either the DUP’s popularity within the province One of the issues with the politics Northern Ireland is that the Republican party, Sinn Fein, refuses to take up its seven seats at Westminster. This means that of the 18 constituencies in the Province seven do not have active MPs. It also means that the only Westminster representation comes from a party that got just 36% of the vote there in June 2017. This makes the parliamentary representation…

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New Northern Ireland polling suggests that a no deal Brexit could lead to what the IRA never achieved – a united Ireland

New Northern Ireland polling suggests that a no deal Brexit could lead to what the IRA never achieved – a united Ireland

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How the Brexit hard-liners are gambling with the Union Generally speaking Northern Ireland gets ignored in national polls which are confined to England, Wales and Scotland. This is because the party structure in the province is very different with most people voting on sectarian lines. This Northern Ireland polling from Lucid Talk seeks to test opinion on possible impact of a no deal Brexit on the future of the province and whether there is more or less support for unification…

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Why the Northern Ireland border has been such a difficult issue

Why the Northern Ireland border has been such a difficult issue

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I’ve just come across an article by John McTernan, Tony Blair’s former director of political operations, which explains very clearly why the Northern Ireland border is such an issue in the Brexit negotiations. “.. there is no concession that can be given on the backstop or, as it should properly be considered, Northern Ireland. The fundamental problem here is not the intransigence of the Irish government not the trickery of the European Union. It is, put bluntly, because the UK…

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The gilded cage. How the DUP are using the new rules of the game to trap the Conservatives

The gilded cage. How the DUP are using the new rules of the game to trap the Conservatives

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Board games are always a good source of arguments. There seem to be as many views on how to play Monopoly as families. Some place all fines in the centre, to be collected by anyone who lands on Free Parking. Some don’t allow rents to be collected in Jail. Views differ on what is to be done with the properties of bankrupt players. It is important to establish the rules in advance if you want to avoid unseemly rows. Parliamentary…

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Can the UK trade under WTO rules and avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland: the WTO Security Exception

Can the UK trade under WTO rules and avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland: the WTO Security Exception

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Of all the issues covered by the 600-odd page Withdrawal Agreement, it is hondootedly Article 6:  “Until the future relationship becomes applicable, a single customs territory between the Union and the United Kingdom shall be established”, or “the backstop”, that causes the greatest angst; critics say it ties the UK into EU customs alignment with no unilateral means of exit and want Theresa May to junk it. Designed to prevent a hard border in Northern Ireland, without the backstop, there is…

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The DUP would be taking a big gamble defying Northern Ireland’s farmers on Brexit

The DUP would be taking a big gamble defying Northern Ireland’s farmers on Brexit

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Problems building on the DUP's home patch over its approach to TMay's Brexit deal https://t.co/qFJd5AhNnA — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) November 17, 2018 The assumption that the DUP will automatically oppose TMay’s Brexit deal might not be the case as pressure is building up amongst the Province’s farmers many of whom support the party. The Observer is reporting that the powerful Northern Ireland Farmer’s Union has told Arlene Foster’s party that its 10 Westminster MPs should vote for the deal. The…

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A Nation once again? – Part 3 lessons from abroad

A Nation once again? – Part 3 lessons from abroad

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In the final of three articles Alanbrooke looks at Irish affairs There are numerous examples of states being put together in modern times.  The closest and probably most studied is Germany. It is almost at 30 years since the wall came down so there is quite a period to look at. The situation is also not that dissimilar to Ireland  – a larger more prosperous neighbour takes over its sizeable but smaller struggling neighbour.  How has Germany fared? Unity is…

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