![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mcCabenew.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWe are a lucky generation. In our lifetime there will be a border poll. That\u2019s for sure. I say that because even should \u00a0a first border poll fail, it will be repeated seven years later, and if that fails, repeated again. At my age I\u2019d very much wish for success first time out, but sooner or later, Irish reunification will come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some \u00a0unionists are making noises for the need to have a substantial \u00a0majority in a border poll, even for a substantial unionist majority in that poll.\u00a0I say once again, horse manure. In 1995, the Canadian province of Quebec voted on independence \u00a0from the rest of Canada. They were defeated \u2013 their opponents got 50.58 per cent of the vote. All of Canada, including the Quebecois, accepted the decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the threat of a loyalist backlash. Should we not because of it seek reconciliation before unification? Horse manure 3.0. A majority is a majority is a majority \u00a0\u2013 however slim or fat. That\u2019s how democracy works.<\/p>\n
What should we do meantime? We should take steps to \u00a0avoid the curse of Brexit. That disastrous decision was taken by a people who didn\u2019t know what Brexit would look like \u2013 they literally didn\u2019t know what they were voting for. We must make sure that when people enter the polling booth, in five years or ten years or whenever, they know what sort of Ireland they\u2019re voting for.<\/p>\n
Will it be for a united Ireland in which unionists have a guaranteed number of seats in the Dail? Will it be a devolved state, with Dublin the central parliament and regional parliaments in Stormont and maybe Cork and Galway? If the \u2018British identity\u2019 of northern unionists is to be protected, how will that be done \u2013 allow for Orange marches, visits and awards by the English sovereign, Ulster Scots as a school subject? \u00a0And what about the Irish flag and national anthem \u2013 should they be on the table, matters for discussion as well?<\/p>\n
Most definitely \u2013 the lot. Everything should be open to negotiation and decision-making. Then an informed people can enter the polling booth.<\/p>\n
A major snag \u2013 maybe THE major snag:\u00a0FF and FG. These two political parties have ruled the South for over 100 years, and as Idi Amin once said: “All power is delightful, absolute power is absolutely delightful.” \u00a0The arrival of the representatives of nearly two million northern people will permanently upset the comfortable apple-cart of the last 100-plus years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A final point: people hate change. They\u2019d rather have the devil they know than the devil they don\u2019t. Which is another reason for Irish people to act NOW. Not next year or in a dim future \u2013 NOW. \u00a0We need to establish a discussion framework to which everyone is invited, and where we can \u00a0formulate plans for a future state. \u00a0Our goal should be the creation not of a new Ireland, but a better Ireland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not a moment to lose. The practical steps need to start now.<\/p>\n
Do you have something to say on this issue? If so, submit a letter for publication to Conor McParland at c.mcparland@belfastmedia.com<\/a> or write to Editor Anthony Neeson at Andersonstown News\/North Belfast News, Teach Basil, 2 Hannahstown Hill, Belfast BT17 0LT<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THE late John Hume was a good and even a saintly man. But he had some political views…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146667,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5226],"tags":[37227,37228,37229,802,748,7044,2000,299,5187,1699,4884,12,37225,6570,37226,1144,17793,93,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-146666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brexit","8":"tag-andersonstown-news","9":"tag-andytown-news","10":"tag-belfast-media-group","11":"tag-brexit","12":"tag-britain","13":"tag-comment","14":"tag-eu","15":"tag-europe","16":"tag-european","17":"tag-european-union","18":"tag-great-britain","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-news-belfast","21":"tag-north-belfast-news","22":"tag-north-of-ireland","23":"tag-northern-ireland","24":"tag-south-belfast-news","25":"tag-sport","26":"tag-uk","27":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114602194016665484","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}