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Ireland threatening to block Brexit deal ....
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grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Re: Ireland threatening to block Brexit deal ....
Jun 28, 2017, 10:31
drewbhoy wrote:
Good, meanwhile up North the Independence movement,SNP and SGP are unified preparing to throw out the Tory/Labour/Liberal alliance.


I don't know. I think the Scottish independence movement made a tactical error (and I say that as someone who thinks independence would be a good thing for Scotland).

Brexit has polarised the UK and it's brought a lot of uncertainty. Scotland voted against it, but is being dragged along anyway. My own view, as someone who studies group psychology, is that the SNP and Scottish independence movement should have put talk of a second referendum on hold (just for a few years) and painted themselves instead as the real "strong and stable" force in Scottish politics.

The people of Scotland (if we assume the referendum numbers to be meaningful) have had an unwanted change (brexit) foisted upon them by referendum. It should be obvious that an election campaign promising yet another referendum with unknown and potentially massive consequences risked alienating damn near every floating voter.

Being part of the brexit car-crash is going to hurt Scotland. But there was never any chance of getting out before it happened; even if a 2nd referendum was held tomorrow. I don't know how the hell you're going to deal with a customs-border between England and Scotland, if and when you vote for independence and join the EU.

But apparently the brexiteers didn't think it was going to be that big a deal in Ireland; so I'm sure they have an easy solution for Scotland too.

Straight after the Brexit vote, people started talking about a "border poll" in Northern Ireland... a vote for reunification with the Republic. It was even mentioned by our -- at the time -- ultra-establishment, conservative Taoiseach (PM).

Tellingly, Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin only mentioned it once. He suggested now was not the right time; that perhaps we could look at the idea "in four or five years". He understood that the people of Northern Ireland didn't want any more uncertainty right now. And he understood that even if Brexit doesn't turn out to be a long-term disaster, it's almost certainly going to look that way for the first few years after it happens.

And I have to agree with Adams on that. Whatever side you stand, that is clearly the tactically astute time to discuss a border poll. I think the same might be true of Scottish independence.
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