Comments by "Taint ABird" (@taintabird23) on "Ireland criticises UK's protocol bill: 'Boris Johnson risking breakup of UK' | World English News" video.

15.1 million English voters voted for Brexit, while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain. There is no democratic account for this. This will result in the break up of the UK.
3
@keithalan9430 A stupid come back, because of course the numbers are insignificant. The UK may be leaving as one, but there is no longer an over arching British Demos. This is a problem. The evidence? The Tories are English nationalists and have no seats in NI and have not represented the politics of Scotland since 1955. The English voters have put them in power. The SNP are Scottish and don't view themselves as British and along with the Scottish Greens, aspire to a Scotland independent of the English dominated Westminster. Northern Ireland has elected more nationalist MPs than Unionist for the first time in history at the last general election. The Welsh have seen support for independence rise to about 25% since the Brexit referendum, and have an extra MP for Plaid Cymru since 2016. There was a big pro-independence rally in Wrexham yesterday. There is no constitutional account for this democratic deficit, however it is unsustainable in the long term and it will result in the break up of the United Kingdom.
2
@keithalan9430 Don't apologise for 'quoting facts', apologise for denying reality. it remains the case that of the 17.4 UK voters who voted to leave the EU, 15.1 million of them were English, voting in areas that identified predominantly as English rather than British in the census of 2011. This indicates the current constitutional arrangement is not fit for purpose. Secondly, I have no vote in this matter. I'm Irish, and I am an observer. However, I can tell you that the Scots should given as many votes as they want for independence - there should be no limits on democracy and being allowed to change your mind is a central tenet of the democratic process. However, in this case, when the party that used the fact that the UK was in the EU as part of its campaign to maintain the Union during the IndyRef is then also the party responsible for taking the UK out of the EU against the wishes of the Scots, then you cannot deny them another referendum and claim to be a democrat. The Scots deserve to take their place among the other small nations of the EU, where they will have far more sovereignty than they can ever have as part of the United Kingdom. They will be able to choose their own destiny, which includes leaving the EU, and that is more than can be said for the 'precious union'. It is all just a matter of time. A divided house cannot stand.
2
You're going to need to explain that one...
1
@keithalan9430 No, you lost - you just can't admit it. Your economy is in the toilet, your population is riven, your international reputation is damaged and what do you have to show for this exercise in self-pity? A sovereignty you always had! LMAO! I live in Ireland, watching this hysterical psychodrama from safety of an independent, sovereign, small European country - in other words, I have no skin in the game. IOnce again, while 17.4 million people in the UK voted for Brexit, 15.1 million of them were English. Brexit is the greatest exercise in self-harm since the Easter Islanders cut down their last tree belongs to the English. And it will be exceptionalism of the English will break the 'precious Union'. In few years time Northern Ireland will vote to leave the UK as will Scotland, though we can debate who will be first. The Welsh are unlikely to hang around either, leaving the English to finally grow a pair, admit they are a nation and stand on their own two feet. I hope you will be fit to rule yourselves by then.
1
@davealex6640 'Well first off the Ulster Unionist party and there supporters voted to remain but obviously there certainly are not interested in leaving the U K and never thought that would be a factor as we where voting as 1 uk and they currently make up 10 percent of the vote in N I. ' Okay. 'Secondly there are not more Nationalists seats than Unionist in Northern Ireland.' Sinn Féin won 7 and SDLP won 2 on nationalist side while the DUP won 8. 'In the last general election the Nationalists actually scored a massive own goal chasing after a Nationalist first minister which means absolutely nothing but symbolism and weakened the whole vote of other Nationalists parties leaving them with less seats than they had before.' You're confusing the Assembly Elections with the General Election. 'Theres also currently less than 40 percent of people in Northern Ireland wish to leave the U K. Nationalists parties only hold around 40 to 41 percent of the share of the vote and that hasnt risen at any great rate over the last 20 years and 17 percent of people who vote for Nationalists parties due to living in Nationalists areas still wish to remain in the U K.' People change their minds. The direction of travel and the demographics are clear, and the constitutional issue is not going anywhere. Unionisms 'what we have we hold' mentality is not sufficient when faced with the moving tectonic plates of English and Scottish nationalism, and their collective threat to the Union. Smart unionists will start to engage with nationalism to discuss what a new Ireland would look like, if there was ever a border poll. But it seems to me that Unionism is too strategically inept to negotiate while they are strong, and instead are waiting for a position of weakness and potentially a betrayal by London. Unionisms lack of self-confidence is huge problem, in my opinion.
1
@davealex6640 Yes, it is moving away from Unionism, towards the middle ground. The middle ground is open to persuasion.
1
@davealex6640 Its well documented that the biggest move is away from Unionism. Traditional unionism is getting old, and is being replace a young more progressive, more open-minded unionism. It is just the the hardliners make the most noise and get the most attention, but these dinosaurs (who don't believe in dinosaurs) are on the way out. Young people in Northern Ireland are increasingly rejecting the old labels of identity and mixing more freely, intermarrying and so on. However, it remains the case that young unionists are more likely to abandon NI for college or employment prospects in GB and never return; furthermore, the more right-wing the UK becomes under English nationalism, the more attractive the next generation is like to find discussions on unity. In private, Unionists will tell you, as they have told me, that unity is just a matter of time - they just don't want it to happen in THEIR time. I agree that most people are interested in bread and butter politics, the tectonic plates of English and Scottish nationalism are changing the status quo and soon there will be no UK to be in union with.
1