# Dissolution of the British Empire **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 17, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799 "2000-07-17T05:09:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randomlyblanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@randomlyblanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomlyblanks)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/1 "2000-07-17T05:09:41Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/2 "2000-07-17T06:30:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by poogas21 \* > **Not to beat around the bush: what chances are there of Scottish, Welsh, and North Irish independence from England?** 60/40 > [@](#): > > **If this were to occur, would Northern Ireland re-join Ireland?** Yes. > [@](#): > > \*\*With Britain’s spawn of Canada, if Quebec became independent and the Maritime provinces joined the US, what would it mean for Canada? \*\* 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. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/3 "2000-07-17T08:08:54Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/4 "2000-07-17T12:53:47Z")
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 . ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/5 "2000-07-17T13:37:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*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. \*\* _A_ state? ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/6 "2000-07-17T13:39:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by poogas21 \* > \*\*With Britain’s spawn of Canada, if Quebec became independent and the Maritime provinces joined the US, what would it mean for Canada? \*\* How is Canada any more a spawn of Britain than the country to the south, which originated with 13 revolting British colonies? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2000, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/7 "2000-07-17T13:48:36Z")
I think the French were pretty rovolting too 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/8 "2000-07-19T01:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by labradorian \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*\*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. \*\* > > _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.) ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/9 "2000-07-19T03:02:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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.) \*\* [/QUOTE] 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. ---
**Author:** ![randomlyblanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@randomlyblanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomlyblanks)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/10 "2000-07-19T03:54:30Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/11 "2000-07-19T05:43:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/12 "2000-07-19T09:57:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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 😉 ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/13 "2000-07-19T13:35:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2000, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissolution-of-the-british-empire/25799/14 "2000-07-19T14:14:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > 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. 😃