Putin’s foreign influence trolls are going to run out of popcorn if this continues like this. The Brits have a belt fed full auto machinegun pointed directly at their foot and can’t agree on the right way to lay off of the trigger.
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You know, I’m starting to suspect that they didn’t think this through very well…
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More awards and honors for their military service in their future: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-47521926
Hope not.
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I know this situation is crazy and way complicated, but I have a silly and rather obvious idea; if there’s no feasible way for Brexit to happen without the UK fucking themselves over royally, then why not just scrap it all together and ‘remain?’
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It is fucking hilarious… terrifying, but fucking hilarious. How is it living in the Land o’ Trump?
@Melz2 “… then why not just scrap it all together and ‘remain?’”
Ignoring the cost to the nation of going through with Brexit, MPs are more focused on getting themselves reelected. Democracy in action 
Everything is about keeping MPs in their jobs and hang the consequences.
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It ranges from about the same level of ‘absolutely terrible’ to even worse, depending upon whom you are and where you live.
Heaven help us all, my friend; may we live to see the dawn.
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Oh, about the same…
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The referendum was “advisory”. Parliament is legally allowed to ignore it. Of course, that wouldn’t play well with the peanut gallery.
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I am not sure I follow? The EU is not kicking the UK out. The UK—part of it—is throwing a hissy fit and demanding it is going to take its toys and go home. A larger part of the UK is wising to how that might not be a good idea. If there was a second referendum, and the remain in the EU folks had the majority how exactly would the EU stop that? Not my bailiwick, so feel free to educate me. 
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So these guys are calling themselves the “New IRA” rather than “Real”, “Provisional” or “Continuity”. I’d have thought they’d have taken the opportunity to call themselves, the “New and Improved IRA”.
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It feels wrong to “like” your comment. All the best.
@SpeedRacer As far as I can see, a second referendum could really help out the EU. If the 2nd Referendum came out strongly on the side of “No Fucking Way”, and the UK remained in Europe, then the EU would avoid the financial and political disruption of loosing the UK, and it would also serve as a salutatory lesson to any other member states thinking of throwing themselves overboard.
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One day someone’s going to try a 50%+1 referendum for all people involved to get “I’m stupid.” tattooed on their faces.
With human nature being what it’s been, I think it would end up being a close thing in the end.
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From the Canadian perspective we simply didn’t/don’t learn about Ireland nor its relationship with England, nor its Troubles. I grew up in the 90’s and I remember seeing it on the TV, but not understanding it in any meaningful way.
May I ask you why a no-deal Brexit would result in a return to paramilitary violence in Ireland?
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I want it on the record that I “liked” your post because you’re very correct, and not because I like the concept of returning to The Troubles.
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After c. 30 years of violence specific to Northern Ireland (and about 800 years of the English meddling in Ireland in general, more often than not with bloody results), the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 largely turned the page by getting the major armed groups to down weapons in return for entrenched power-sharing between the two communities, placing the future of Northern Ireland squarely in the hands of its people, and a commitment to no hard border on the island of Ireland.
No-deal Brexit by definition pisses all over that last part. If Ireland’s in the EU and Britain is not, nor in a customs union with it, there has to be a hard border. You cannot square that circle.
So no deal = no GFA = a strong possibility of a return to violence.
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The rule is: if there is a term people come up with to refer to the IRA that was the military wing of the IRB in 1916 in the hopes of differentiating it from modern groups. Some modern group will adopt it. Including IRA of 1916.
So “Old IRA” was already taken. So some one had to go with “New IRA”.
Cause the other rule is that for every modern IRA group 12 related or antagonistic spinoffs with impossibly similar names crop up.
Couple things.
First the border and it’s check points were the biggest locus of violence, the biggest target, and the most contentious issue during the troubles.
Second all of the peace accords, agreements and cooperation across the border and with Republican and Unionist groups run through the EU. They’re potentially no longer in effect, or invalid the minute the UK leaves. And cutting NI off from the rest of Ireland directly violates the Good Friday Agreement, which is the current keeping things tamped down, legally binding status quo.
That will piss of the IRAs and Sinn Fein. But the closer ties to the UK will please the DUP and Unionist groups.
So you’ve just given them something new to fight about. Removed the stuff keeping them from fighting. And put their favorite target/battle ground back in place.
Add in that support for the sectarians and violence wax and wane with the ecconomy in NI. And Brexit is going to absolutely fuck the ecconomy in NI. And you got a powder keg.
Also what @SheiffFatman said.
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