46% of Scots want to separate from the UK; 43% want to remain

[SheiffFatman]

@Ryuthrowsstuff

That treaty established Home Rule and allowed there to be a county by county vote on independence. Counties that voted yes got to split off into an independent Ireland. Those that did not, stayed part of the UK.

Where are you getting that from? The border was originally set by the British government between the devolved jurisdictions of Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (the latter of which was stillborn, because of the War of Independence): it was later adopted as the provisional border between the UK and the Free State under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and later still confirmed by the Irish Boundary Commission, comprising representatives of the governments of the UK, Free State and Northern Ireland. No plebiscites involved

Irish Boundary Commission

@Ryuthrowsstuff

Essentially its now settled law that the Irelands have the right to a future vote on reunification, called a border poll. At effectively any time. The overarching UK government, and any of its non Northern Ireland constituent parts, do not get a say. They don’t get to vote, and they don’t get to impact when how or if.

The law you quote says otherwise:

@Ryuthrowsstuff

Schedule 1

1. The Secretary of State may by order direct the holding of a poll for the purposes of section 1 on a date specified in the order.
2. Subject to paragraph 3, the Secretary of State shall exercise the power under paragraph 1 if at any time it appears likely to him that a majority of those voting would express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland.

And from further on in Schedule 1:

4 (1) An order under this Schedule directing the holding of a poll shall specify

(a) the persons entitled to vote; and

(b) the question or questions to be asked.

So the UK Government gets to decide:

• whether to have a poll
• when to have the poll
• who gets to vote in the poll
• what the poll should ask.

@Ryuthrowsstuff

Boom reunification.

Again from the law you quoted:

@Ryuthrowsstuff

But if the wish expressed by a majority in such a poll is that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland, the Secretary of State shall lay before Parliament such proposals to give effect to that wish as may be agreed between Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the Government of Ireland.

So the UK Government negotiates the terms of reunification with the Irish Government, and then the British Parliament gets to vote on the results of those negotiations.