OT: Have the DUP duped Theresa?

[BigFatPie]

If only people could have known Northern Ireland might be an issue before the vote.

[optipez]

So these Irish bods want to do it their way as far as gay marriage and homo***ual rights are concerned. Their take on abortion is completely different to the UK and they want to run education as a separate system. But as far as Brexit is concerned, it's not fair that the UK isn't treating them exactly the same as the mainland. Nothing hypocritical there, Ms Foster, eh?

A poorly thought out argument.
Those Irish bods as you disdainfully call them are British citizens. The DUP have sensibly pointed out that the whole of the UK is leaving the EU on the same terms.
The UK runs under regional rule as well as just rule from Parliament.
Are you suggesting devolution be abolished and more power taken back to the centre or is it the case you've got the hump over us leaving the EU and are just throwing your toys around.

[sidders]

A poorly thought out argument.
Those Irish bods as you disdainfully call them are British citizens. The DUP have sensibly pointed out that the whole of the UK is leaving the EU on the same terms.
The UK runs under regional rule as well as just rule from Parliament.
Are you suggesting devolution be abolished and more power taken back to the centre or is it the case you've got the hump over us leaving the EU and are just throwing your toys around.

But the only border shared with the EU for the rest of the UK is a maritime one, which makes NI a special case whether they like it or not.
If they're so keen to be British, why don't they do abortion rights, gay marriage, same system education?
And wouldn't you agree with Mr Elite's point that this unholy mess is nothing more than a Tory civil war for which we're all suffering? Of course you wouldn't because you're a Tory.

[TheBlackHorse]

... it’s time we started to discuss the, for some, unthinkable. With, yet again, another example of the folly of the past failed British policy of partition comes home to roost with Northern Ireland. This region has always been propped up financially and politically by successive British governments giving a relatively small population special treatment when, left to stand on its own feet, it would fail. All this for a population of c1.8m; roughly half of whom having a greater affinity with Eire than with the mainland and the other half wanting to and getting the benefit from alignment the England, Scotland and Wales. In other words they have their special cake and now want the best of both worlds to continue. All this based on throwing their toys out of the pram and threatening outbreaks of violence – how the IRA/et al must be rubbing their hands at the prospect of an upsurge of existing corruption which never went away despite the faux agreements by conniving politicians.
One of the reasons the IRA and its political wings have already won – we just don’t like admitting it - is that they know the voting population is increasing in their favour; so they can play the long game anyway. Ultimately, there will be a vote in NI and there will be a decision to join Eire – bye bye UK and thanks (however, Eire can never provide the financial props provided from London so expect them to plead poverty and ask us for more pay-outs!).
Time for us to bail out from NI, offer the likely c 0.9m unionist sympathisers (that’s just under the current population of Birmingham) refugee status in England, Scotland and Wales, if they want it. End of local difficulty.

[Mapperleypie]

... it’s time we started to discuss the, for some, unthinkable. With, yet again, another example of the folly of the past failed British policy of partition comes home to roost with Northern Ireland. This region has always been propped up financially and politically by successive British governments giving a relatively small population special treatment when, left to stand on its own feet, it would fail. All this for a population of c1.8m; roughly half of whom having a greater affinity with Eire than with the mainland and the other half wanting to and getting the benefit from alignment the England, Scotland and Wales. In other words they have their special cake and now want the best of both worlds to continue. All this based on throwing their toys out of the pram and threatening outbreaks of violence – how the IRA/et al must be rubbing their hands at the prospect of an upsurge of existing corruption which never went away despite the faux agreements by conniving politicians.
One of the reasons the IRA and its political wings have already won – we just don’t like admitting it - is that they know the voting population is increasing in their favour; so they can play the long game anyway. Ultimately, there will be a vote in NI and there will be a decision to join Eire – bye bye UK and thanks (however, Eire can never provide the financial props provided from London so expect them to plead poverty and ask us for more pay-outs!).
Time for us to bail out from NI, offer the likely c 0.9m unionist sympathisers (that’s just under the current population of Birmingham) refugee status in England, Scotland and Wales, if they want it. End of local difficulty.

Or we could just stay in the Customs Union/Single Market (the Norwegian model) - you know the sort of Brexit Hannan and Farrage talked about before the referendum but dropped like a hot potato once they had got across that particular line. It was the win the referendum at all costs mentality that has Brexit in such the mess it is today - the campaign tried to be lots of different things to different people and ultimately this is undeliverable. You could say all political parties do this (and you would be correct), the difference being that they can get voted out after a period of time when their lies are exposed, whereas Brexit has a permanence that means the debate needs to truthful and coherent.

Still it's good to know that the impact assessments that Davis promised parliament don't actually exist in any form. It's not like Brexit is going to impact the economy in any way so it's good to see the government doing its homework. You couldn't make this cr@p up.

[drillerpie]

If only people could have known Northern Ireland might be an issue before the vote.

Project fear innit.

[dam617]

If only you had loaned your crystal ball to Theresa May on 19th April 2017 when she made the catastrophic decision to call a general election when she didn't need to. A Tory majority would mean the DUP would have been nothing more than a minor distraction in Brexit negotiations, rather than knowing that now the Tories have to kiss their arses. This is a mess of your own creation Theresa.

Totally agree. You can add the facts that she spent the whole campaign alienating the Tory core vote and let Labour get away with promising magic beans to students without vehemently challenging how they would purchase them (as we've seen, this was an open goal)

Regarding the border issue, no one seems able to mention how much smuggling, VAT fraud etc goes on. It's as old as the hills.

[OP67]

How do other countries that have a border with the EU do it?? Why should Ireland be any different?

[SmiffyPie]

If they're so keen to be British, why don't they do abortion rights, gay marriage, same system education?

Probably for the same reason England, Scotland and Wales have their differences.

[sidders]

Probably for the same reason England, Scotland and Wales have their differences.

This is not an answer, Smiffy, and you know it. Ulster Proddies do things like gender, religion and marriage quite differently from the rest of us. They actually have more in common with the Catholic South!