Friday, November 25, 2005
Have the British given up on NI?
It has been an interesting couple of weeks in Ireland's north. Then again, things always tend to be interesting in the northern part of this island. What I've found most intriguing however has been the attitude of the British towards the north of Ireland of late. Not long ago, British Secretary of State Peter Hain, much to the disgust of unionists, declared that the NI economy was unsustainable in the long-term and he recommended an all-Ireland model, the British government this week has also pushed ahead with the On-The-Run legislation and the reduction of district councils in the North - two measures which both main unionist parties oppose. There was also the little matter of this survey, conducted in 2001, which found that 41% of Britons wanted rid of NI and favoured a United Ireland with only 26% favouring the status quo.This was at a time when the IRA were still around and when Paisley was NOT the voice of unionism so it wouldn't be surprise me if that 41% has grown considerably.With all that being said, I've added a new poll to the sidebar of United Irelander which asks the question:
"Have the British given up on NI"?
This is a question that raises interesting points for both nationalists and unionists so I'm interested in your views. As always, please use the comments section of this post to explain how you voted and why.
Personally I voted Yes because I think it is abundantly clear that the British want rid of NI and that they see it as a white elephant which sucks up too much money.
What is your view though?
# posted by United Irelander @ 12:22 AM 
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