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One of the most interesting discussions I had recently was with a unionist pal. Actually Fionna's no more a unionist than I'm a nationalist. If we can park the political correctness for a moment, she's from solid Ulster Prod stock while I'm a proud soap-dodger from Dublin. But we both like to think we're above petty tribalism.
Anyway she is convinced that there will be a united Ireland within 15 years while I, despite my feckless Fenian background, don't believe it will ever happen. It was quite a heated debate.
I've noticed a lot of unionists are really obsessed with this united Ireland thing. Refering to the furore over Aer Lingus's decision to shift its Heathrow route from Shannon to Belfast, DUPer Jeffrey Donaldson said that while some people shout about a United Ireland, they don't like it when it hits them in the pocket. Nice quote, but who the fuck shouts about a united Ireland these days? Sinn Fein, of course, but they've been given a bloody nose from the Irish electorate. Maybe I mix in the wrong circles but NO ONE I know in Dublin has mentioned the great 'national question' for yonks.
For the sake of all these unionists harbouring either hope or fear that we'll all be one some day, I hereby present a few random reasons why I think it will never happen:
1. The British tax payer forks out £6 billion a year to keep Northern Ireland afloat. I really don't see the Irish tax payer being quite that generous.
2. There are two different currencies, completely different health care systems (no doctor's fees and prescriptions cost a flat £6 something) and education systems.
3. I was a Vodaphone customer and an ntl customer in the south for years. When I went to sign up to those companies up here, my credit rating in the south didn't count at all. To transfer money, even through Bank of Ireland, from Dublin to Belfast takes about two weeks and there's a charge. The systems - even within the same company - are entirely different.
4. The whingers of Galway and Cork never shut up about how Ireland is entirely Dublin-centric. I admit they have a point. I said to my brother recently, "the second there's a united Ireland, the lads of Cork will launch a separatist movement". "They can have it," he said, I think quite wittily. The point here is that Ulster would be crazy to ditch a regional parliament in favour of Dail Eireann. Even aside from the protecting the interests of our beloved unionist pals, Stormont allows local politicians to deal with the very specific challenges facing the region.
5. Take it from a northern point of view: A Dublin government isn't going to waive water charges - in fact they'll probably double the charge and introduce them immediately - because there is no way they'll be able to persuade the southern electorate to fork out however many billion is required to update the water system here. They won't be half so benign in relation to public sector job cuts, or rationalising health trusts, education and library boards and councils.
Anyway she is convinced that there will be a united Ireland within 15 years while I, despite my feckless Fenian background, don't believe it will ever happen. It was quite a heated debate.
I've noticed a lot of unionists are really obsessed with this united Ireland thing. Refering to the furore over Aer Lingus's decision to shift its Heathrow route from Shannon to Belfast, DUPer Jeffrey Donaldson said that while some people shout about a United Ireland, they don't like it when it hits them in the pocket. Nice quote, but who the fuck shouts about a united Ireland these days? Sinn Fein, of course, but they've been given a bloody nose from the Irish electorate. Maybe I mix in the wrong circles but NO ONE I know in Dublin has mentioned the great 'national question' for yonks.
For the sake of all these unionists harbouring either hope or fear that we'll all be one some day, I hereby present a few random reasons why I think it will never happen:
1. The British tax payer forks out £6 billion a year to keep Northern Ireland afloat. I really don't see the Irish tax payer being quite that generous.
2. There are two different currencies, completely different health care systems (no doctor's fees and prescriptions cost a flat £6 something) and education systems.
3. I was a Vodaphone customer and an ntl customer in the south for years. When I went to sign up to those companies up here, my credit rating in the south didn't count at all. To transfer money, even through Bank of Ireland, from Dublin to Belfast takes about two weeks and there's a charge. The systems - even within the same company - are entirely different.
4. The whingers of Galway and Cork never shut up about how Ireland is entirely Dublin-centric. I admit they have a point. I said to my brother recently, "the second there's a united Ireland, the lads of Cork will launch a separatist movement". "They can have it," he said, I think quite wittily. The point here is that Ulster would be crazy to ditch a regional parliament in favour of Dail Eireann. Even aside from the protecting the interests of our beloved unionist pals, Stormont allows local politicians to deal with the very specific challenges facing the region.
5. Take it from a northern point of view: A Dublin government isn't going to waive water charges - in fact they'll probably double the charge and introduce them immediately - because there is no way they'll be able to persuade the southern electorate to fork out however many billion is required to update the water system here. They won't be half so benign in relation to public sector job cuts, or rationalising health trusts, education and library boards and councils.
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