[Skybird]

From ExFishermanBob'S link:

"Another important part of the Agreement deals with the key constitutional issue. Northern Ireland remains a part of the UK for as long as a majority so desires. Should that seem to have changed, a referendum will be held to give the people the choice between remaining in the UK or joining a united Ireland. Northern Ireland is thus conditionally part of the UK."

However, the big inherent self-contradiction:

"The Agreement also created North/South institutions connecting Northern Ireland and the Republic (the North/South Ministerial Council) and linking the Republic and the UK (the British-Irish Council). Such institutions obviously blur the distinction between the UK and the Republic as much as they do the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The core of the Agreement was thus a blurring of all sorts of borders. It represents a form of post-Westphalian sovereignty in which the distinction between being an Irish or British citizen, whether within Northern Ireland or within these islands, was more symbolic than of any practical significance."

You cannot eat the cake and keep it. You cannot stand on both sides of a line. You cannot stay and wanting to leave at the same time.

It seems a majority of the Northern Irish want to stay within the UK, And that another majority wants no Brexit. But inside the UK, the Irish no-Brexit voters were a minority only.

They have to chose what now they want. Staying with the UK, leaving to be an independent actor inside the EU, or going together with the Republic (if the latter agrees to that)? If I were the Republic, I would check the fiscal numbers of Northern Ireland very very carefully. Lessons learned from german reunification. Be careful of what you want.

Justb arguing that one wants to stay in the UK but that no brexit should be there, that is demanding that the UK- wid ereferendu majority should obey the will of the referendum minority.

And letting votings and referendums be repeated as often as neede duntil somesobdy gets the outcome he wants, is no good idea, but an eroding of the principle idea behind having majority decisions.

If the Irish want to separate from the UK, I'm fine with that. I only insist that they can pay for their"independence" then by themselves, and can economically maintain themselves. The other nations around must not want to come up for their deficits and costs.

I say the same about the scots. I say the same about the Catalonians. And I give neither London nor Madrid any right to claim that they can rule about people aganst their will if these peopel do not voluntarily subordinate temselves to such a ruling. Becasue that then would be one people claiming the right to possess and own another people. We call that slavery, and imperialism.

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The Gibraltar issue is cooking up again. The spaniards threaten to veto any Brexit agreement on behalf of the EU. The majority of people living in Gibraltar want to stay ith the UK. Madrid once again has absolutely no case here. I find this authoritarian and nationalistic posing of Madrid ove rCatalonia and Gibraltar increasingly annoying. If I were them, I would instead voluntarily give up Spanish claim for the Northafrican enclave at Ceuta. Its a wide open flank regarding migration. Spain better should withdraw behind the street of Gbraltar to use this waterway as a natural defence line.