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Comment by tasuki | Hacker News Reader

From an outside point of view, it seems crazy to split off and annex a part of an island. The shoreline very clearly marks the border. Obviously I understand the Brits who have lived in Northern Ireland for generations might feel differently about this and it's a complex issue for sure.

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It's the Catholic-Protestant history. Not Brits living in NI.

The Northern Irish 6 counties did not want to unify with Ireland when Ireland was born in 1919. Those 6 were the protestant majority counties, who wished to stay with the UK.

Changing demographics and birth rates over the following century, increasing secularisation in the Republic, and increasing numbers who simply don't care about religion makes that far less of the issue.

Catholic/Protestant history and the British colonisation of Ireland are inextricably linked: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_of_Ulster

Yes of course, but there comes a point where they see themselves as indigenous Northern Irish, or Irish, not British or colonists.

Just as those ruling in London no longer see themselves as Norman French, or in my UK county Danish.

Welcome to colonism. Have a look at africa, the borders there are a bit more arbitary.

But in ireland it is not only about the english living in north ireland, but more about the irish living there. It was more about catholic vs. protestant.

Not so easy to dissolve, but I hope the last blood happened long ago enougj for both sides to forget and move on, even if england messes up the deal amd the border becomes an issue again.

This is one of the conversations where the difference between English and British actually matters. I don't think you're talking about the small number of English people living in Northern Ireland here are you? And I'm pretty sure the UK is the one that might mess up the deal rather than England (don't forget Wales voted to leave too).

> don't forget Wales voted to leave too

This is debatable. It was very close and the large numbers of English retirees in parts of Wales that made it seem that Wales voted to leave. Brexit is very much an English project.

maybe england should just leave the UK and let the rest stay in EU.

I would be very interested to see what a vote for 'English independence' would return. It'd be fascinating considering the benefit we gain from it, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a large majority vote to go it alone.

Wow you're totally right, it looks like it was down to English people in Wales; TIL and all that.

Citation: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/sep/22/english-peop...

I did, because the parent I refered to, did talk about them ..

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