Not to beat around the bush: what chances are there of Scottish, Welsh, and North Irish independence from England? If this were to occur, would Northern Ireland re-join Ireland? With Britain’s spawn of Canada, if Quebec became independent and the Maritime provinces joined the US, what would it mean for Canada?
60/40
Yes.
You would assume that Canada would remain where it is. Canada has the choice to be non-commonwealth. Maybe we could talk them into becoming a state.
Scottish and Welsh independence? When? If you mean in the next 10 years or so, I’d say 10/90 against. Only a (vocal) minority in both countries want full independence. A meaningful level of devolution would keep most happy. The only way independence could really be encouraged is if the EU hinted that it might offer large sums of money for development.
Northern Irish independence? Well, I don’t have figures, but there’s a sizable population who want to remain part of the UK, and it would probably be electoral suicide for any government to be seen to abandon them or “surrender” to terrorism (which is how much of the lower end of the media would portray it). So I can’t see that happening for some time.
Northern Ireland’s becoming part of the Irish State is still in the distant future . By law the majority of the population in N.I. have to vote to leave the union and since there is a majority of unionist(protestants) it wont happen for a while .
Ireland has removed it constitutional claim on N.I. so the chances of N.I. coming back to the fold are slim t say the least .
A state?
How is Canada any more a spawn of Britain than the country to the south, which originated with 13 revolting British colonies?
I think the French were pretty rovolting too
Yes. I like this idea. It’d finally shut those Texas bastards up! (Alaskans really have the bragging rights, of course, but they’re so out of the way and even tempered that they just don’t enter into it.)
*Originally posted by Smeghead *
A state? **
Yes. I like this idea. It’d finally shut those Texas bastards up! (Alaskans really have the bragging rights, of course, but they’re so out of the way and even tempered that they just don’t enter into it.) **
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Ahem. I am an Alaskan, I grew up in Fairbanks.
And we are not “even tempered”. Some of us are down-right psychotic.
I hereby demand an apology.
How is Canada any more a spawn of Britain than the country to the south, which originated with 13 revolting British colonies?
Sorry if I was unclear and/or offensive. I simply needed a way of going from a question on Britain to one on Canada. I would have said the same thing to go from Britain to the USA if I had needed to.
What possible advantages would a breakup of that type have for anyone? They wouldn’t become truly divided nations. They’d wind up much like they are now, eventually, because there hasn’t been any reason for borders among those regions for centuries. Northern Ireland might be different, but as yojimbo said most in that region want to be British. The only purpose a dissolution of that kind would serve is to placate some small groups, piss off some other groups, and utterly confuse the rest of us.
*Originally posted by yojimbo *
**Northern Ireland’s becoming part of the Irish State is still in the distant future . By law the majority of the population in N.I. have to vote to leave the union and since there is a majority of unionist(protestants) it wont happen for a while . **
That is also my understanding but I beleive that the pro-republican (i.e. generally catholic) minority is growing and so will eventualy overtake the unionists. If this happens and sentiments remain as at present then it would become likely that NI will join the republic.
By then of course we will all be part of a european superstate so it will all become academic
*Originally posted by Smeghead *
Yes. I like this idea. It’d finally shut those Texas bastards up! (Alaskans really have the bragging rights, of course, but they’re so out of the way and even tempered that they just don’t enter into it.) **
You could chop Canada into six states, each of which would be larger than Alaska. Alternatively, leaving Quebec as is, merging the three Praire provinces, and merging BC and Yukon, would give you three ultra-Alaska-sized states.
**
Ahem. I am an Alaskan, I grew up in Fairbanks.
And we are not “even tempered”. Some of us are down-right psychotic.
**
That’ll happen when you’re snowbound seven months a year.