It already HAS done that, no question, and I reference it above, too.
I think there are elements on both sides of the Troubles conflict that would very much prefer a return to the bad old days, because some of them have become more marginalized since the Good Friday accords, and I’d wager that they’ve been quietly radicalizing some young people who still feel strongly about the conflict (maybe hearing it from older radicals), and want to feel like they’ve got a chance to engage in some glorious conflict for the “people” (however they define that)… what’s that line from that Tom Waits song (Road to Peace) “They fill their children full of hate/ to fight an old man’s war/ and die along the road to peace”… which is about the Israeli/Palestine conflict, but has some relevance here I think. For some people who spend their life in a conflict, peace can be a hard sell, because they no longer feel as if their life is nearly as meaningful, as when they were fighting for their lives and for a great cause.
Agreed. The Good Friday accords were likely not perfect, and not everyone got what they wanted out of it, but it was working, and it seems like the majority were happy with the compromises that were struck, and some level of normalcy has seemed to have been reached. Crashing out with no deal on the Irish border issue could make the whole thing topple, and the people who are pushing for a no deal brexit are well aware of that fact, and frankly do not care enough to not do it anyway. It’s maddening.
