Loudest opposition to re-united Ireland won’t be unionists
IT’S mad to think a lot of the loudest opposition to a border poll will come not from hardline unionists in the North, but political pundits, economists and multimillionaires in the South.
The drumbeat has already started. We have influential economists and professors in Dublin telling us we “can’t afford” to even consider a united Ireland.
They point to Germany and the estimated €2trillion bill for a reunited East and West after the Cold War.
Well, Germany is a vast country of 84 million people, the world’s third-biggest economy and, if you think Irish history is a little difficult and complicated...
The Germans managed to do it (admittedly with some enduring problems) despite their country being the front-line of the Cold War, divided by the worst conflict in human history, two superpowers and the struggle between democracy and communism.
Compared to that, deciding on replacing Amhran na bhfiann with Ireland’s Call (or The Sash My Father Wore, for feck’s sake) does not seem like an epic battle with history.
Then you have the politicians and pundits who warn that a border poll and unity could harm the Irish economy.
Yes, we should be very worried about causing a housing crisis and out-of-control cost of living increases – or threatening our world-class and totally brilliantly run health system.
Like, seriously, are we expected to pass on finally ending division on this island because it might put three cents in the euro on everybody’s tax bill for a few years? We should look on the bright side – maybe there are people in the North who actually know how to run a public health system.
And we could persuade the British Government to take every single senior manager in the HSE as a “going away present”.
Throw in a few hundred bankers as well – fill yer boots, lads!
We are just going to have to ignore the naysayers, the lads whose great-grandfathers were no doubt telling Michael Collins and James Connolly that there was “no point making a fuss, lads, sure they’re the British fecking Empire!”
History appears to be rushing towards us, and faster than we might think.
There’s going to be a ground-shaking election in the UK, probably this summer.
And the shocking developments we have seen in Ulster politics over the past few days could have major effects beyond the courtroom.
So if people are nervous about the framing of the whole thing, we won’t say it’s unification, we’ll just say it’s a chance for the North to rejoin the European Union. Ahead of the UK.