Yes, that's true, but I was talking about NI being regarded as a foreign country across the political spectrum.
Joe and Josephine Public can think what s/he wants on any given day. One day it's "a big problem" having people from NI have a say in the formation of our government, a few days later, the same people are "happy to see the new government formed" with people from NI having a say!
If you are willfully misrepresenting their views you can certainly see things that way.
QUOTE="WolfeTone, post: 1668961, member: 108000"]
I consider the views across the political spectrum that overwhelmingly do not consider the two state arrangement here as foreign countries to each other. This is reflected in the wording of our Constitution, our economic and social orders, our culture and heritage, and through cross-border political participation.[/QUOTE] No it doesn't, unless you chose to willfully ignore reality.
From the UK side, they even have a law that expressly refers to this State as "not a foreign country".
I'm surprised that you are happy to see that the UK considers us not to be fully free, but rather still part of their country.
A United Ireland is aspirational and can mean many different things to many different people. I'd l like to see Ireland united politically and dissolution of the NI State. But as it stands, I accept matters as they are. But there is more than one way to achieve this . I think there is greater scope to forge closer economic and social ties between Ireland and Britain that, in time, will make NI effectively an irrelevance or a footnote in history - crucially, without as much a bullet fired.
Agreed. I hope this can happen and the parties who have opposed such a course do not get into power in this country as they are in the Uk's regional government in Northern Ireland.
In summary there is this country; Ireland, made up of historical 26 counties and there are other countries. Other countries, collectively, are foreign countries. Batswana is one of those countries, as is the Figi, as is the UK. We may both wish that part of the UK was instead part of Ireland but it isn't. Unless and until that changes Northern Ireland is part of a foreign country. Arguing otherwise on the basis of aspirational passages in our constitution is ridiculous.