Late to this as been away this week.
It is really all about keeping the North and South in balance and maintaining harmony.
Which is odd as it was essentially negotiated by terrorists who basically cant even sit in a room together now in the NI Assembly.
Is all a bit nuts realy.
It's really not, it's not about a border between North and South Ireland but a border between the EU and the UK.
Over time there will be fewer and fewer people with grief and hate. The younger generations will bring fresh hope. You'll never get rid of extremists. But they are everywhere, these days, trying to wreck everything they don't understand.
That's a pretty naive position to be honest and leading right into the whole its a north vs south thing, again thats a detraction. Its a eu/uk border, that is the issue.
During the troubles in Northern Ireland, many people had lost a loved one or was close to someone who had. Many people had feared, and hated, or seen the hatred close up. And many were drawn along by leaders stirring up passions. Being told they have to defend themselves, even though they didn't have a violent nature. Most were just ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And who would never want things to go back to that.
Wow, if you think that it was all leaders stirring up passions then you really have no comprehension of what it was like growing up there.
There are two chapters in Ireland and one I think has been put to bed and that is the IRA and its fight with the UK government, large scale surrendering of weapons etc.
The second part is the sectarian violence Catholics vs protestants which is still bubbling under and wouldn't take much to reignite, wether the wall going up would tip that I don't know.
I don't want a wall as it will simply end up being a massive problem to maintain and it will cause friction.
What worries me more is the EU immigrants could end up using Southern Ireland as an entry point within the EU borders and then sneak over to NI and attempt to get over the sea into England etc.
Are we then going to end up with a migrant camp in NI and then the locals will have a lot to say about that and violence could errupt.
Yep, IRA is all tucked up and now you're putting up a wall? Oh throw in a comment about EU migrants sneaking across this "wall" and there will be violence? again, wow!
Since the 12th century Ireland had been a colony of the Norman English.
It was not until England Partitioned Ireland into the Irish free state and ulster in late 1921,
that there was any sort of border between the two. Even then they were both under the Crown.
It was not until 1948/9 when Ireland declared itself a republic, did Ireland become truly separate with a permanent border.
However even then the two populations were free to travel between the many border checkpoints.
soo many issues. The partition was the free state and the six counties, not Ulster, Ulster is a province of Ireland and has 3 counties in the Republic. While they were still under the crown on paper, they were run seperately and what you call a declaration in the late 40's was simply an act of parliamant, ie a finalising of a defacto state put in black and white. The border in fact officially existed from 1922/3! As for the populations being free to travel, I'd say that depends how you define free!
It was not until both the UK and Ireland Joined the EEC that the border, as far as trade was concerned became somewhat academic, and it was not until the Good Friday agreement that the check points were done away with, and free movement became the norm again.
Eh? there was nothing academic about that border just because both the UK and Ireland were in the EEC, It was only after the GFA that the actual hard border was dismantled, what you call check points.
In a lot of ways, the fact that both countries are members of the EU, has become fundamental to solving the border issue.
Now that the UK wish to leave, the whole issue has come to the forefront again.
Only because people keep stating its a uk/ireland border, it's not, its a UK / EU border, THAT is the issue.
The only trade and custom borders in the EU are at its periphery, and exist between it and non EU countries.
These Borders are essential to defining what is and what is not of EU origin. and what taxes and duties apply, and who can freely cross those borders or not.
After brexit such a defacto border will exist between northern Ireland and Ireland. The problem is that such a border is contrary to the Good Friday agreement. only between 1921 and 1973 when Ireland joined the EEC did any sort of a Controlled border exist. Which is a period of only 52 years.
Only?
No one wants to create a border that confines the various people of Ireland to their side of the border, or creates a barrier to the free movement of goods. this would be a new situation that has never happened before. Irish citizens have always been free to enter the UK
Not free, there's always been a sort of agreement/acceptance, much of it based on the fact that even when there was a hard border you could not stop people walking across fields where roads didnt exist and get across the border easily. However, when you try to access either side of that border in a car or other vehicle when there was a hard border, free movement is not a phrase that would spring to mind.
However if there is no control. anyone entering Ireland could cross the border and freely continue to any other part of the UK as there would be no border check. it would also become a major route for goods both legal and otherwise to cross into the UK.
Some border is therefor essential. unless we have both freedom of movement and freedom of trade.
In which case leaving the EU is impossible without a hard border
Therein lays the problem for brexiteers...
a similar problem exists at the border between Gibraltar and Spain, which is now an issue again, and a lesser problem between the channel Islands and France (who have never much recognised borders)[/QUOTE]
It was not until England Partitioned Ireland into the Irish free state and ulster in late 1921,
Only 6 counties in Ulster were partitioned.
What he said.
