Hear , hear

Well said, sir.

What does protecting British identity in a United Ireland mean? Protections given to parades? The right to hold both British and Irish passports like they do today? For quite alot of the unionist community, being part of the union is everything. If that ceases to be the case then there's really not alot to cling to. Protection rights for ulster Scots isn't going to cut it. Unionist politicians should be making the argument for staying in the union and focusing on making N Ireland work for everyone. They should be fighting for greater fiscal control from Westminster instead of moaning about a protocol. That border poll is coming, that's inevitable. Yes conversations should be had about the result being for a United Ireland but Unionist politicians should be focusing on improving conditions for everyone economically. There's still too many foghorn politicians in unionism whereas nationalist politics has moved away from that at large.

There will be no great future one way or the other. I does not work that way. It will be just more of the same.

This isn't about a great future for all, this is about the pragmatists aiming to get in now to sow the seeds of future strife. Unionism and Loyalism can't survive without creating division. They need to convinces the stupids that we are some kind of existential threat to them which is much harder when there are no walls between communities. This is saying "We need to prepare to sabotage a better tomorrow" because they failed last time with The Good Friday Agreement.

@@joeavreg2254 the more sections of unionists do that the more other sections of unionist populace start to consider a united ireland alternative

@@aor3220 You can't be a Unionist and accept a United Ireland. These two things are completely anathema. The whole point of Unionism is denying a United Ireland by whatever means necessary. This is him explicitly saying "We have lost on these terms so we need to be on the inside to obstruct change on reasonable terms". Right wingers always play this game and you are seeing it play out in real time in the US right now as the roll back decades of civil rights victories because they knew when they lost so they got in on the inside and made sure to obstruct change on reasonable terms. Filling the seats throughout the Judiciary with crackpots and men who hate women. Now the Supreme Court makes sweeping judgements on cases that are proven to not even exist because you just have to convince the dopes the unreasonable is reasonable.

@@joeavreg2254 I'm not really seeing the US analogy with what this man says. You're correct that the point of being unionist is to deny a united Ireland and this man is saying that every strategy, every tactic they've ever adopted has failed.

This is nothing like that.

Ireland will not unite like Germany. The Germans and Irish have said so: it will be planned and negotiated.

​@Nicksexploring It could be though. If Ireland was to finally convene citizens assemblies and put flesh on the bones of what a United Ireland will look like, then it can give people a goal to work towards and a demand for immediate change could come.

what `experts` ? source please

​That expert was Chancellor head of state Helmut Kohl himself and most everyone in politics on both sides at the time. The opening of the borders was a mistake in a press release. So, on the eastern side they kind of knew that they're doomed, but didn't really see a quick way forward either.​@@PJP812

Most sensible Unionists know they are a minority in NI and need to be looking to a new arrangement, young people have no truck with the Troubles as thankfully they did not live through it and are the future

He knows it's not good to try to negotiate from a position of weakness. The Unionist position is weakening every day, so best to acknowledge the inevitable and negotiate now.

You wish.

​@@BehindstageWhere are u from Boyo?

They no longer have the British establishment behind them ,they want rid of them

He don’t have that kind of juice anymore they are seen as a party of obstruction and younger generation are sick of that.

​@@ciaranbrkwell he dead so there's not much juice to be had

Paisley is in hell now where he belongs

I don't rhink he is a member of the party anymore. He was one of the original members.

It doesn't matter, it won't be Irish people. It won't be our country anymore

It's never going to happen.

@@Behindstage It already has. What exactly do you think that the Good Friday agreement laid out. No border; North/South Ministerial Council; normalisation of security; normalisation of all civil service functions. When a United Ireland comes about, no-one will notice.

Your a fool to think no one would notice.I think people in the Shankill,East Belfast,Sandy Row and other Loyalist area's might disagree.

@@chelsealoyal5633 Aww, look at you being a literalist just so you can insult someone online.

So?

​@@BehindstageAh an Englishman u are ,U should be praying for a United Ireland

Just wait for the backlash - he will have been "possesed by deamons"

I would call it a miracle!

Why isn't a united kingdom ?

@@Behindstage Difference is that Uk is a political construct of england,s expansion from c. Edward I . The division of eire and northern Ireland was a political construct to keep some control of Ireland after irish independence in the 1920s. Britain and tve protestants divided ireland not the catholic irish. That is why Derry became Londonderry. WW 2 saw eire then neutral help the germans ,so Britain felt it was safer for them to keep a divided ireland. Now the protestants in northern ireland would say it protects them from the catholics. Protestants in Ireland, is also a construct from england's side to controll the carholics. Oliver Cromwell thing. So that is why the scots had a referendum to leave the union of 1707 I think it was and Wales chose to stay, because they have been attached to england since the fouteenth century. The first prince of wales was edward II. Nothing wrong with unions if they work, generäally they do not, some keep better than others, change and time changes our perspective . For example, kalmar union, sweden and norway, norway and demmark. Finland and sweden In some ways soviet union, usa, jugosalvia ( led to the Balkan wars in the 90s) and huge empires a s o. I am not daying a united kingdom is wrong, for england, scotland and wales it seems logical, they are physicslly joined to each other and very small. but ireland needs to be united snd independent again

​@Nicksexploring you understand a united kingdom scotland wales amd ni are part of the uk only to one thing feed england with revenue nothing else or more ,,why the hell would ireland want to be part of that

@@andykane9866 never said thar ireland should be united to england.

​@@mn4169I'm from Dublin we are independent since 1922 and we became a Republic in 1949

Great comment!

They need to be part of this conversation and be brave enough to start it, not come in screaming against it in 5 years

You are wrong in the context of The Labour Party, they are Nationalists and that is why they do not have or support Labour Party representation in the six counties, The S.D.L.P. is recognized as Labour's sister party in the six counties.

As a scot. In ni. I'm all for a all ireland. Hope Scotland gets out union to

@@user-cz4xb9wt4s I am with you on Ireland's re-unification and you have every right "to hope for Scotland to leave our union of Home Nations" But public opinion to leave in Scotland is lowering and support for The S.N.P. is falling as well.

Not true at all

I would be interested to hear how you know this ?

The DUP political base is shrinking. It's called demographics.

@@AndriyValdensius-wi8gwyet unionists parties still win more seats. You do know that catholics are allowed to vote for other parties and not just Sinn Fein ?

@markhart4922 Allowed ? It's a democracy isn't it ? They are "allowed" to vote for whoever they like, I assume. Nevertheless Sinn Fein is STILL the biggest party. In any case, as time goes on, and everybody becomes an atheist or agnostic, the whole Catholic Protestant thing will be consigned to the history books, where it belongs.

its so true. i honestly think northern irish unionists are among the least culturally british people on the entire island. an average working class person on the streets of manchester to cardif to croydon would probably find much more in common socially and politically with the average irish republican.

😂

🤣 and LOL at those thinking that your LOL means Laughing out Loud and not quite understanding your initial comment

​@@djpandsmmHaving said that, I am sure these knees-ups are an absolute hoot.

🤣 a man willing to put his principals before his caramel slice is a brave man indeed.

It ain't.

@@Behindstage wake up guy

@@Behindstageit is inevitable one day as it just makes sense.

Highest UI party vote has been 25% of the available vote, so I wonder how it's 'inevitable?'

@@wthchannel3629 whatever the %, it's happening and it will be hugely benificial for all

That is the kind of rhetoric which won't help, regardless of whether it's true

I don't think Ireland was ever fully united before the British arrived. As far as I am aware, the island of Ireland was divided into different kingdoms at the time the British started taking it over. Whenever Northern Ireland decides to the leave the UK and form a United Ireland, that would be the first ever time the entire island was a single entity and independent of Britain.

Sorry, no one here wants to return to iron age gaelic system of petty kingdoms with brehon law. That's ancient history now

@@leeo5443completely untrue.

So a patchwork of petty kingdoms and chiefs?

@endamck8 "I do not believe that hard-line British people can ever integrate into Irish society. They haven’t integrated over the last 800 years"? The world's longest case of expat refusal to integrate?

i think ironically they are also the least british people on the island of ireland. actual british people who were born on the island of great britain are generally offended by the kind of anti abortion, anti gay marriage, a womans place is to be a wife to her husband kind of attitudes that northern irish unionists tend to promote. actual british people are generally a lot more in line culturally with the average republican political stance, generally quite socialist, socially progressive, love to back the underdog, generally quite sceptical of authoritarianism and religious fundamentalism. its funny when westminster pushes rules on northern ireland its generally against the unionist position and they are the ones who chirp up talking about how their culture and beliefs are not being respected by westminster, essentially admitting that their culture is incompatible with british cultural values.

@@necaacen The things that Orange Loyalists insist on as part of their 'British Identity' either baffle or horrify those British people who actually live on the island of Britain....

@@necaacen I think that brexit suggests that there are more of the northern type of British people than you might think.

Two -thirds of them are of Scots Gaelic extraction yet their attitude to the language is just contemptible. The reason they reject it is because it would ,of course, bring them closer to the Irish. It's also possible to imagine that the British identity might very easily be reflected in a united Ireland especially because we share some of that identity ourselves but instead of exploring this they elevate partition to a supreme position so that the only measure of their 'Britishness' is the depth of partition-hence the support for brexit which promised to bring back a hard border and put the Irish back in their place. This is why I feel that the appeasing attitude so prevalent in southern commentators ,though less so among politicians these days, is so misplaced. The DUP way of being British is incompatible with compromise with the Irish and will have to be defeated. It is already being defeated in NI but only time will tell if this is really a process that will lead to unity.

What a shallow comment. Only concerned with square footage and not the people😮

@@eoinj3929 It's not shallow. Land matters probably more than people, because land has resources and land has political, symbolic significance. For centuries a lot of wars were fought over "that piece of land should be mine, I have ancient rights over it" or "I want that piece of land".

@@octavianpopescu4776 As American Republicans in the heartland keep learning to their cost, land can't vote.

It's not really such a huge leap. The big leap will be inside the heads of the DUP and other unionist wing nuts. This gentleman at least acknowledges the inevitable. Sinn Fein is already the major party in NI. The border between NI and Eire is open. The 🇬🇧 border is in the Irish Sea, agreed by Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor. Ireland is effectively ECONOMICALLY one unit, with no border. A final acknowledgement of a political union is a relatively small step. NI has been run from Westminster for several years when Stormont was shut. Is it really such a big leap to move it to Dublin ?

@@jrfinnanin a certain sense in the USA land does vote. Each State gets two senators regardless of population.

How pray tell, would the population of Dublin react to that? Just sit back and let it happen? Perhaps you don't remember the fracas that the Unionists caused a number of years ago with their 0:02 Union Jack flags on OConnell Street. Just saying.

I take it you’re not Irish?

They are perfectly welcome to do that. They are Irish.

@@PanglossDr they CAN do so. I don't know about the 'welcome' though.

They would be entitled to 😮 do you want a united Ireland or not

The economic cost is temporary. The real problem in Germany is the continued discrimination of the 'osties'. Avoid that and you've got a win.

The real problem in the eastern states of Germany is that they had to give up the political system of State Communism and most of the people were not capable of making their own decisions. It was in their blood that the government always decided what to do. The results were that they started whining and complaining and now after almost 36 years they are still dreaming to go back.That's why the AFD is so strong in the East. I grew up in West Germany and left Germany for good 1989 to Asia. It's annoying to watch how the local CDU government in Saxony is doing nothing to stop the growth of the extreme right wing AFD.

The British would have to keep the current subvention going for at least 25 years so as to assist in the process, simple

i think it wont even be a case of the republic of ireland having to somehow pay the bit the uk is paying for. i think the republic of ireland as it is will cease to exist just like northern ireland will and an entirely new country will be formed, new government, new anthem, new flag, new mission statement, laws, the full works. from what i have heard from the main parties in the south that is their vision for the thing, a completely new country designed around all the different cultures that exist there.

Northern Ireland is just Ireland to people in England .. not sure about Scotland and wales. Westminster didn’t betray anyone. NI was never relevant.. The sooner people see that the better for everyone

Too dumb to see what side their bread is buttered on 😢

Dublin was the Capital of Ireland before partition and would have remained so after 1922 regardless of what happened in the north of Ireland.

Sadly right.

Or has been possesed by Satan himself 😂🤣😅

He woke up and smelt the coffee.the decades are actually years .mabey 6 years border poll

I think we can thank Father Ted for popping the Pope’s bubble.

More like 1000 years - they march every year to celebrate battles they "won" in the 16th century 😅😆😂

17th century ya eejit. @@davdonoghue

@@AAA-fh5kd Ah well that makes it reasonable so

@GiTSUM There is a body of research, accumulated over more than thirty years, done by the European Studies Department of the University of British Columbia, about the implications of Irish unification. Among other things, it points to a post-Unification dividend of €30-35 BILLION boost in overall GDP after 10-15 years..

Nearly right. It's Éire, not Eire.

The people in the republic of Ireland will have the final say as to whether they want a united Ireland or not, they'll be the one's paying for it. There would be a lot of changes in the North too and no more so than in reducing the size of their civil service which accounts for nearly 40% of all employment there. Those kinds of figures would be totally unacceptable post unification and a lot of people will lose their jobs. It's things like that that could decide the future of Northern Ireland.

​@@celticlofts I guarantee the desire to reunite our land and our people will defeat your economic argument. If the people of the North voted for reunification there's no way we would abandon them... again. You use the words "will lose" their jobs instead of "could". We don't know how this will work out because there has been no proper debate; multiple citizens assemblies should be convened to start fleshing out the details of reunification and the ramifications of each decision as can be envisaged.

I agree. There's always some lonely voice in the crowd and sadly his words are irrelevant in the larger scheme of things.

And you speak for them?

@@KaiColloquoun-gt7kw speak for them? This man is telling some hard truths to unionists. Most are not listening. And it's not just those who would typically be seen as 'extreme' unionists like the TUV. Even moderate unionists have their heads buried in the sand, seemingly fantasising about converting huge swathes of the Catholic/nationalist population over to being Pro-UK. That shipped sailed 80 years ago.

I imagine that while they may speak openly about unity, they are probably giving it a lot of thought.

Your god has no say in what Ireland does. Religion, especially Catholicism has been the greatest curse this island and its people has had to endure. Magdalene Laundries, forced adoption for profit by Parish priests, sex crimes against children and more. The list could go on so leave your so called God out of our country and politics. We are heartily sick of it.

Love seeing bits of Scot’s Gaelic that i can understand from speaking Gaeilge 🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The bad news is, you're getting the Scots plantation back. There'll be a welcome in the hillsides, I'm sure. And lots of clubs they can join.

Of course. She said that she didn’t want to live in a united Ireland. She’s free to go wherever she wants - except the EU

@@walterrudich2175 Ireland is supposed to be a British island according to her, turns out it’s not British enough after all.

Arlene can leave she is a Souper anyway ,not a proper Prod .

She's living in London now, is she not? She's got a regular gig on GBNonsense.... She has stated that she would move to Britain in the event of Irish unification anyway.

@gloin10 every Unionists dream is to live in the heart of pax Britannia

He has to use that language.

Scottish independence is dead.

The Northern Irish”Prod” to the typical Englishman is just a “Paddy”. I am of Irish decent born in England and have experienced this attitude many times. The interesting thing I have also seen, is that both Irish Protestants and Catholics band together in England without issue. I’ve watched All Ireland finals with lads with King Billy tattoos on their arms and Tyrone shirts on their backs😂😂🤣 It’s a funny old world folks….

Most want the UK.

Is he still on holiday in Ireland 😂😂

@@clario2178One of my favourite Ali G questions ever -is you ‘ere on ‘oliday? 😂😂😂 poor Sammy not blessed with a sense of humour 😊

Very pragmatic

The union would survive the loss of NI. Not particularly important. A united Ireland would be popular internationally. The loss of Scotland, however, would be a catastrophic economic, cultural, strategic and political blow which would reduce the rump of the UK to failed state status.

​@@Tourist1967haha. You hate the UK hu.

It's not going to happen.

@@Behindstage Why would you say that? It is clear that Scotland will exit the UK at the next opportunity. Like Brexit, older people swung the vote. About 25 per cent of those who voted to leave the EU have since died, for example. I have offered no opinion on the desirability, or otherwise, of the UK's dissolution. Merely stated the likely results.

Why don’t both British and Irish accept that both countries are finished be it a united ireland or an independent Scotland or even if the 2 islands became a whole one their done. Both our governments have sold us out of that there’s no doubt. Republicans celebrating a United ireland will be short lived unfortunately. You just have to have a look around you and see it’s done. They want an Islamic state and that’s where we’re headed.

They have. Are you not aware of the Irish government paying for student erasmous, hospital wards and new motorways in NI. There is a long list of projects paid by ROI for the people of NI.

Red postboxes must be fast tracked

@@eoinj3929 no, actually I wasn't aware of that. I was thinking more about being emotionally welcoming . My observation is that a little work in that area could work wonders. There can be nothing more isolating than the idea you are about to be subsumed by a "hostile" majority.

​@jhc839 we won't be waving no butcher Aprin

@@nreddington1857 crap, now I have to find someone to explain that to me. Too long gone😃

That's how I see unity coming about - the English calling time on the union.

Is it not UK?

Never

Never going to happen. More peace walls in Northern Ireland now than at any time during the troubles.

Yes, according to a recent report, that is heavily based on assumptions. There are other reports by economists and political scientists that say it is doable. The Irish government have not commented on whether is can be afforded or not, because the situation has not arisen. However, Ireland is running a budget surplus in recent years, so could probably have afforded it in recent years.

It's comments like this that just give them another reason not to want a united Ireland. There was a time you could say the exact same thing about the Irish republic btw.