Over the last decade there has been a substantial move from Labour and the Lib Dems to the separatist and Marxist SNP in Scotland. However, it appears such moves have not been replicated in other parts of the UK. For example, Northern Ireland.
A poll strongly indicates voters in Northern Ireland would reject a united Ireland in a border poll.
The poll found, not surprisingly, more than 90% of those who identify themselves as Protestants said they wanted to stay in the UK. But on the other side of the religious divide, a substantial 38% of Catholics also favoured remaining within the UK – three percentage points more than the number who backed a united Ireland.
In recent times there has been greater support amongst Catholics for the Unionism. More than half of SDLP supporters – 56% – also said they would opt to stay in the UK. Those who identified themselves as Sinn Fein voters – 23% – said they would back the status quo in a border poll.
The BBC poll states 'those who identified themselves as "Northern Irish" for the BBC Spotlight poll those people back staying in the UK by a significant margin – 72% to just 7%.'
Electorally, since 2007 power in the Northern Ireland Executive has been shared between two parties traditionally considered it be on the more extreme wings of ‘Unionism’ and ‘Republicanism’ – the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein (SF)
Votes in national elections generally yield a percentage of around 47-50% for Unionist parties, and around 40% for Republicans and the remaining 10% non-aligned. (Alliance)
Also, one must factor in there is large elements of tactical voting, for example large numbers of Unionists vote SDLP in South Down to stop Sein Fein getting elected.
In the 2015 General Election Unionists to include Sylvia Hermon MP for North down, took 11 of the 18 seats leaving the Republicans with 7. There were two gains for Unionists in Fermanagh and South, from Sein Fein and Belfast East went DUP from the Alliance Party.
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This Is heartwarming stuff , long live the Union . Are you listening Scotland !!
It really is time for people to look back to Joseph Chamberlain’s proposed Federal UK in which each home nation would obtain its own national Parliament while Westminster would become what was then the Imperial Perliament dealing with Foreign Affairs, Defence and Finance.
I’ve been a supporter of English Independence since 2005, but now I think it is time for the peoples of our two two islands to bury the past forgive and forget.
England needs its own Parliament albeit within the UK and perhaps there could be a Irish Federation also within the UK.
As far back as 400 there was an ancient Kingdom known as Dal Riada or Dal Riata comprising the north eastern tip of Ireland and South West Scotland. It is time Irish republicans noticed this and realised that the unionist population of Northern Ireland are still indigenous even if their ancestry is mixed with English and Scottish settlers from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Yes, Irish Republicans consider the majority unionist population of NI to be ‘foreign’. Most of the people who comprise that community can trace their ancestry back to Scotland (and to a lesser extent Wales and England) but where did they come from originally? Yes, they came from the island of Ireland. They crossed to Scotland (and Wales and England) and made their home there for a couple of hundred years and then went back to the ‘six counties’ of what is now NI (and also to County Cavan, County Monaghan and County Donegal in the ROI) The coastline of one part of NI (County Antrim) is just 14 miles away from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland which is less than the distance Dover is from Calais in France.
So it isn't surprising there has been much interaction between the populations of what is now NI and Scotland (in particular) but also Wales and England. Also, there are some other links between Ireland and Scotland even to this day. Some places in Western Scotland still have people who can speak Scottish Gaelic like the Isle of Skye, the Western Isles and some parts of the Western Highlands (Lochaber ect). Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are related languages.
I lived in Co Louth, Ireland for around six years when I was young. County Louth, often affectionately referred to as the ”wee county” was, and still is, associated with Republican activity. As it is a border county, one would expect this. However, as somebody with an English accent, I never got much hassle, the well rehearsed response to ”where ya from ? ” was that I was born in Drogheda and had moved to England at an early age. Many Catholics up north would favour remaining in the union, possibly because they are well aware that Ireland is one of the costliest places to live in Europe. We all know what Ireland, both north and south, should be worried about the most. And some of them are certainly waking up to this