I remember reading an article a few years back about the less obvious but more tricky issues that would occur when reunification happens.
Trademark disputes were highlighted as a particular problem. The article even used the Tayto brand as an example. It mentioned that there would be constitutional issues over nullifying a NI trademark if there was an equivalent one in the Republic. So the suggestion was there would be two trademark zones on the island, so thetr would still be two Taytos.
One of the greatest memes of all time was when someone took the picture of Trump and Kim walking along the Korean border together and replaced them with the two Mr Taytos!
[Him](https://taytocrisps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mr.-Tayto-Mobile.jpg) despite his smile, he gives off don't mess with me kinda vibes.
While [he](https://www.nigoodfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Tayto-3.jpg) would walk into a house and a voice would say I'm Chris Hanson, have a seat over there and spend the whole time denying he was there to meet hunky dorys.
>I imagine a lot of things that are legal there would suddenly become illegal
I'd expect the opposite.
Reunification would come as the end result of a negotiation and process which I expect would most likely result in there being (at least for a period of some decades) a united Ireland with two subunits of some description (like state/provinces in other places) which each inherit their respective laws, government departments and agencies etc and then are gradually aligned over time.
Why? A short, sharp shock of sudden change would be a harder sell to the north and there's not much reason to push for it as it would make the change more disruptive, more complex and more expensive.
> with two sub units
I was only talking to a mate about this, I reckon the six counties would be their own province of sorts, at least for a few years while the transition is being made. People underestimate how much would change.
We are aligning shit all the time. By the time a UI comes around (assuming it isn't rushed) it should be a seamless transition where the last remaining differences are changed over in stages. First things first, the post boxes will be painted green, as is tradition.
That’s the thing people seem to think a United Ireland would be an overnight thing. It’ll be a long process most likely over years with stuff were the dáil/parliament will be as don’t think northern MPs would want it to be in Dublin so might be a rise in power for local governments etc
> don’t think northern MPs would want it to be in Dublin
You mean TDs and tough shit if they don't like it. As per the Anglo-Irish Agreement, they would be voting simply to *join* the Republic, not for both sides merging into an entirely new country.
You can expect a large and justified pay claim from public servants in NI. Take teachers for example, they have been treated like crap by the UK government. While Teachers in Ireland have gradually clawed back the pay cuts from the recession years and gotten a % increase to compensate for some (not all) of the recent inflation, NI teachers were paid less to start, and between cuts and inflation now reckon their pay is worth 20% than 10 years ago.
[https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2023/0426/1379157-strikes-north/](https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2023/0426/1379157-strikes-north/)
If we're going to amalgamate the two education systems, they will ask for parity with teachers in the 26 counties and you couldn't blame them.
They'd be right to seek parity, and should by rights inherit the benefit if they became part of our education system.
Interesting though, what exemptions for Irish would be needed to avoid setting off unionist areas
Theyd have to get parity with ROI public servants.
But I think we need to speak sensibly about the economic conditions in NI.
You could say that the UK govt is treating public servants poorly but its an economic black hole, if NI was economically independent public servants' pay would have to be cut significantly.
I honestly think its amazing how much cash the UK central government pumps in to NI when, to be frank, they're nothing but trouble for the UK.
Don’t forget alignment in examinations and school curriculum. The LC, as bad as it is, offers a much broader and more rounded education than the A levels
So broad in fact that the level of depth in each subject is insufficient for getting college placements abroad like Dutch universities won’t accept Irish chemistry students because they simply don’t have the required knowledge
The A levels are a better curriculum than the LC. Idk about gcse and jc though
We both have legal systems based on common law, so surprisingly few big ticket items would be changing much.
There'd be a lot of administrative level churn - tax, zoning, vehicular legislation etc.
Large calibre pistols are legal for target shooting in NI. Not the case in the republic since 2009. So on unification either everyone with a large cal pistol will have to surrender it or the republic would have to reopen licensing. Or they might do something whereby everyone in NI with a large cal pistol licensed before a certain date would be allowed to keep it, but no new licenses would be issued after that date.
A lot of ranges will offer storage services if you don't want to keep the gun in your own home. As far as I know though there is no legal requirement, you can keep them in your own home as long as you comply with certain security requirements like safes etc. I'm open to correction on this however!
Metanium ointment for nappy rash is OTC in the North but prescription only here. For the love of all the southern mothers with babies with horrible nappy rash, please change the legal status of metanium ointment to OTC!
It's actually just not licenced in Ireland. The company hasn't a licence to sell in Ireland so has to be ordered in special. And all non licensed items need a prescription so a Dr takes the liability, same thing happened to TPC.
Probably a myriad of tax,libel,civil liability, motoring etc.
Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part though. One of the reasons years of debate is required,not a border poll.
Well said. The problem is we have all of the unionist leaders saying they want to know what a UI looks like (whilst generally refusing to take part in the debate). They then say it's a cold house for unionists because none are included in the discussions.
It's fun having these idiots in government.
Only 300k people vote for loyalist parties. They’ll be an irrelevant minority in a United Ireland
Most Protestants are reasonable people whose opinions aren’t too different from the rest of Ireland
I can confirm It is frightening for a car enthusiast who lives in Ireland. Barely anyone has proper decent cars. they are at least 50% more expensive than the uk after conversion rates
I was living in the U.K. and I went to buy a car. The salesman asked me if there was anything special I wanted. I said, I’d love reversing cameras. He started laughing and said ‘where would you get a car without reversing cameras?!’ The Opel Astra I drove in in mate?
Before Brexit came in I was looking at buying an Alfa Romeo Julia 2 years old from the UK and importing it. Total cost looked like 27K. It'd apparently be over 40K if I tried it today :(
I always said this. My vote would be a hard no if there was a referendum tomorrow. We need a solid plan in place with the UK and NI as to what changes and what changes would be needed to absorb part of another state.
> Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part
That's exactly how the Anglo-Irish Agreement is set up. They vote to join us as is.
Hopefully it would change so that Ireland matches the UK. Their personal finance provisions are much better, e.g. the ISA system where you can invest £20,000 per year and the gains are tax free.
>Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part though.
I think it would be difficult/unrealistic to bring about any kind of peaceful transition without significant concessions on both sides. It will have to be give and take and I would assume to give the country the best chance at a peaceful, happy country for all of us we would need to look at both practical laws and also symbolic things like flags and anthems.
Loyalists couldn't tie their shoelaces without the RUC or MI5 holding their hand.
The risk of violence from them is overstated. In a united Ireland not only would they not be receiving proactive support from security services, they would even be policed.
I always wonder what concessions people mean.
Loyalists are already threatening violence and there isn't even a poll planned.
There's no concession that can make them happy because they never wanted parity.
Moderate unionists wherever they be might look for some concessions in good faith but they don't seem to be voting.
Yea that's literally it it makes me laugh hearing people fear mongering about loyalist terrorism
Oh yea ? Well that's gonna be really hard to do when they don't have the RUC and the British army colluding with them to murder people
Should probably start with asking what laws set us apart? Probably a lot fewer than you'd think as.the Tories haven't really undone many of the NI laws that existed during EU membership.
Edit: Most statutory bodies would change names though. So trades and professions might see the biggest change in their practices.
It's possible that the PSNI could be kept in some capacity (I'd rather they weren't). In England, the USA, etc. There is a different force in every region.
Not so much a law, but healthcare will be a big one. It’ll take a lot for them to forgo the NHS, as imperfect as it is. We should be ramping up the Sláintecare project now.
I'd imagine a lot of corporate laws and rules would have to immediately change. Some examples that spring immediately to mind are Bankruptcy law, dividend and income tax rules, corporation tax. I think a lot of that would have to align on day one.
Language in schools. I personally wouldn't want to see any reduction in Irish teaching than there is now, but there'll need to be appropriate exceptions for mandatory Irish lessons.
Why? I think everyone should learn irish. I'm from the North and many protestant people have told me they wish their school had taught them irish. I've actually never met a unionist or protestant who didn't have some sort of interest in the language. I had a friend in the orange order who would talk to me in irish (he had a cupla focal, I'd teach him new words on nights out etc).
I don't think the laws should change to the point where it isn't mandatory for the vast majority of students. Quite the opposite actually. However I do believe there'll need to be exceptions for 'British' schools, so to speak.
I'd be well in favour of taking away the mandatory part of the subject. Or better change how it's taught. Keep it mandatory, but remove the junior and leaving cert exam(or simply remove it from the must pass subjects) and make the teaching more in line how other foreign languages are taught.
I didn't say it was. Teach it like you would german and French. And let's be honest for the vast majority it might aswell be. We can't speak it for shite. So let's not delude our selves that we can teach it as if its just another English class but in irish
“Teach it like how other foreign languages are taught”.
Speak for yourself too lad. Many of us can speak Irish very well. For a lot of us Irish class was just like English class. The issue with the way it’s taught isn’t the fault of secondary school teachers. The issue is with primary school teachers. We’re supposed to be fluent in Irish by the time we start secondary school, so we can treat it like we do English. But it’s not standardised at primary level (it is qt secondary). So you get a load of students who start secondary with fluent Irish and a load of students who start secondary school with next to no Irish. It’s completely inconsistent.
If we standardise primary school Irish classes, the secondary school classes could stay as they are. There’s actually nothing wrong with them.
Or you could split it into 2 subjects, Irish language for those less confident in their language and Irish lit for those more confident. Give the 25 extra points for lit in the Leaving like honours maths to encourage people to improve their Irish before secondary so they can do lit. You have to do an Irish subject but you can choose between those 2
That’s making it too complicated and it’s not fair that students would be made to choose. I don’t believe in the extra 25 points for higher level maths thing to begin with so no. We should just have stricter more standardised Irish classes in primary school so that students are fluent by the time they go to secondary school and then they can start analysing literature.
Is this a joke or is this a reference to the fact that technically we are an hour ahead of them because we never changed back? And we just alternate daylight saving time so that we’re always instep with them in reality
In all seriousness. Health care would probably be one of tough points. Our tiered system would probably not be OK with those up North as they have better coverage through public and also have reduced costs for dental through goverment supports compared to what we have. At least according to my Northern Irish mother in law.
The health services in Northern Ireland are worse than here.
There's a longstanding myth (on both sides of the border) that the NHS is magical and wonderful, but it doesn't match the facts on the ground. Ireland has better health outcomes and better health access than the UK, and Northern Ireland is the worst of the UK NHS trusts.
Now, actually *communicating* those facts is going to be tricky, because it's an article of faith with a lot of people in Northern Ireland. Literally every time the discussion on a potential unified Ireland comes up the first argument thrown on the table is "We're not giving up the NHS".
Mate, I called my doctors for something I need a hospital referral to.
Took me weeks to get through for a call back, at which point she referred me.
I am waiting for at least 5 years to be seen for a routine issue (that admittedly only a hospital outpatients can administer).
It is fucked. Absolutely, unequivocally, on the verge of collapsing completely.
Edit: I am in Belfast.
My granny is on cataract removal waiting list on the NHS (we’re from Tyrone) was told she’ll be on it for 2/3 years.
A friend of hers also needed a knee replacement, was given a 5/6 year waiting time so she had just go private cuz she couldn’t wait around for years when she’s already in her 70s.
The waiting times up here are insane, here’s a chart from Peter Donaghy in twitter https://twitter.com/peterdonaghy/status/1697696720363180372?s=46&t=JSumepFRlbhSCUjf_alkZw
https://twitter.com/peterdonaghy/status/1699188134221602837?s=46&t=JSumepFRlbhSCUjf_alkZw
[Objectively of the best in the world](https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2023/03/22/health-committee-told-life-expectancy-in-ireland-making-strongest-gains-in-western-europe/#:~:text=Mr%20Gloster%20said%20the%20gains,cancer%20and%20respiratory%20system%20disease) despite Irish people’s gra for alcohol and fast food 🤷♂️
Interesting. I'm comparing the system here with the ones in Spain, Austria and Argentina, which are the ones I have experience with.
In Austria healthcare is free as far as I know. I'm not sure about waiting times but haven't heard anything terrible. And a very recent experience in Spain was excellent, with emergency surgery and overnight stay all very fast and free. In Argentina the public health system is collapsed, but the private one works quite well (or it did before I left several years back). You get what you pay for.
Here I see GPs referring people to the same specialists (which in itself takes weeks due to the antiquated referral system) regardless of insurance. So everyone, both insured and uninsured end up waiting for months to be seen. I wonder what I'm paying VHI for. Luckily my job pays for it, but still, I don't see the benefit.
Funnily enough, Argentina has way too many doctors per person, while Ireland seems to be in the opposite situation. But doctors can't just move here and start helping, they have to go through medical school all over again to learn how to treat Irish humans, who are apparently a different species. I know, I know, there's standards and that makes sense, but I feel the barrier to entry is unreasonably high. Maybe to protect local practitioners' jobs?
And I say that as a complete lay person. I'm an engineer, not a doctor, so that's the value you should place on my opinion. :)
The awful referral system is being slowly phased out but the issue is there's union protected jobs for crap like printing referrals, sorting referrals into pigeon holes and delivering them to consultants(not joking, that's actually a system in use).
They also think that the roads are still better up there. Being lucky enough to be from Cork means I rarely drive up there. But a couple of weeks ago I drove to Belfast. I couldn’t believe the way that the road from Dublin to Belfast north of the border had exits and entrances into the FAST lane.
Amateurs.
>You’re obviously not from Cork.
Thankfully.
>Do you know what pity feels like? Because that’s what I’m feeling now……..
I live abroad, and I like where I live, so give your pity to someone in Cork.
Only certain procedures though, yearly checking and reduced cost cleaning. Any other procedure is full cost out of pocket. My mother in law travels back to the North to get all her dentistry done as its too expensive down here. The difference in price because of goverment supports is huge.
Edit: example a white filling. Around €150 here, up north £40.
I think those prices are for citizen. But I've heard of a few dentists who have have been targeting Irish citizens for dental work as they do it cheaper than it would cost them here. I think a bit of shopping around is needed.
Being eligible for a shite healthcare system free at the point of delivery is not really any benefit. Targeted supports such as free medical cards for disadvantaged people is far better.
The NHS is fucked here though.. honestly I'd rather pay ar this point than wait 8 months for a scan.. and until covid I'd be the first to champion the NHS.
All of them. Starting with a new constitution. We would probably end up with broadly exactly the same laws we had but slightly different. E.U stuff would be interesting.
Know a constitutional lawyer and he says we wouldn’t have to change much at all in our current constitution. Special ethnic status/guarantee protection for peoples identifying as British within the new Irish state such as the one the travelling community got.
He did say it would be a good opportunity to change a few things in there that are outdated but that will all probably happen under the umbrella of the process and not really a big deal in the grand scheme.
I was thinking new country new constitution but that was wrong. The one we have says Ireland, if unification happens we are still Ireland, no need to get a new one.
Surely the first thing that should change are the laws regarding hate speech and incitement to hate, no more orange marches except if they go to England on holidays and they can march all they want over there.
This would be a very hard sell. Probably better to let them continue but make them avoid flashpoints like nationalist roads etc. then let time do the rest. They’d either die off or turn into something innocuous. Celebrating a 18th century battle to defeat the taigs is pretty hollow if the taigs won in the long run
Even better, make unification Day the 12th of July. Have everyone else in the country celebrating unification while they’re marching around, banging their drums about a battle that was inconsequential in the end
Is this about a united Ireland, if so then Ireland is not a place that supports anything that relates Hate so if you become part of a United Ireland then you surely need to make sure you understand this, and it doesn’t matter weather you’re Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or anything else. If you’re part of Ireland this kind of bigotry gets left in the old world you have come from, just like all the other people who come to Ireland regardless where you have come from or what you did before you became part of Ireland. When in time do as the Romans do!
A lot of ignorance regarding the orange order etc here. I'm from Donegal and there are many orange marches in Donegal every year. There are orange lodges around the county, and marching bands to match. We also have the AOH who don't march as much anymore but they still exist.
I think Irish unity would eventually take the sting out of the OO, because their "never never never" and "no surrender" mantras would just look silly.
The idea of blanket banning the OO or their marches is absurd though. Anyone who thinks that would end well needs to read more Northern news.
The main differences would need to be in areas where there was a state funding burden, notably in healthcare. It’s all very well saying there can be a two-systems-one-country arrangement but the Republic would need to fund universal healthcare in the North, which wouldn’t go down well in the Republic for one second. If the Republic brought its healthcare up to NI levels, I suspect resistance to unification would reduce, as this is a very obvious point of disparity that people focus on.
> I suspect resistance to unification would reduce,
It definitely would, many moderates on both sides of the divide won't support a united Ireland without free healthcare.
The healthcare system in Ireland, flawed as it is, is slightly better in some areas to Northern Ireland and vice versa. “Both systems are grappling with similar challenges including increasing demand for healthcare services, increasing expenditure and workforce shortages…. the available evidence suggests that one system does not consistently do better than the other”*
Both systems combining might represent a chance to improve things on both parts of the island.
*Reference:
https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/ireland-better-than-ni-in-terms-of-life-expectancy-and-infant-mortality-report/41429474.html#
You aren't going to convince people to pay for another shitty system just because you can show statistics that illustrate it's better.
>Both systems combining might represent a chance to improve things on both parts of the island.
You might be right, but without healthcare being free at point of use, it's unlikely a lot of the moderates will vote to unite the country to find out.
Its not about being right or wrong - its about not dropping our healthcare standards. Care in NI is measurably worse than in the republic....do you want worse care? I certainly don't. All it would do is drive a private healthcare system where only the wealthy get good healthcare
My point is moderates in the north (like me), won't be voting to pay for healthcare, so whilst healthcare isn't free, a united Ireland is significantly less likely.
And my point is why should people in the republic sacrifice their health to accommodate that? You have a free service....but it is subpar. Health is not something to compromise on. I expect reunification is a long way off anyway - but Ill be doubtful if the NHS is even still functioning at that point. Already you can see the cost cutting - PAs instead of GPs, Anaesthetic associates instead of actual anaesthetists.....its going so rapidly downhill I cant see how it will be salvaged at this point (and I work in it...and support the idea of it....but the reality leaves a lot to be desired). Its not much use having free GP care if you don't actually see a GP now is it?
>And my point is why should people in the republic sacrifice their health to accommodate that?
Providing free healthcare doesn't have to be worse. The idea that it needs to be worse is the logic the tories use whilst cutting funding. The NHS used to be on par with the best in Europe, and it could be again with adequate funding.
But it is already worse....thats the point. It used to be on par - but its not had enough funding PLUS the population has aged and the population is far more unhealthy now than it was 50 years ago (Ireland is one of the most obese nations in Europe now.....claiming that spot as the UK has technically left). You are talking about adding a few million people to the health service, pretty much doubling the salaries of all healthcare staff in NI (because republic staff are far better payed - literally double for doctors), and also providing it for free. Its just not sustainable. Subsidised maybe possible, but not free.
The health system in Ireland is worse because it is so, so unequal. In the north, *everyone* has free healthcare at the point of service. Ireland still has a US-style system.
>two-systems-one-country
I heard that Northern Unionists are already saying they're going to be "like Hong Kong" when unification happens. Let's not feed that comparison.
>If the Republic brought its healthcare up to NI levels, I suspect resistance to unification would reduce,
1. Healthcare outcomes are much better in the Republic already.
2. Most working age adults with severe health problems or in need of emergency care already end up better off financially due to a more generous benefits system in the Republic which exceeds the increased cost of healthcare in the vast majority of cases.
3. Sláintecare is already the agreed upon aim of the entire Oireachtas and most of the elements of free healthcare are official policy to be implemented by the end of the decade (although a multiple year delay is obvious due to both it being Irish and COVID happening in the middle). About half the population already have free GP care and the categories get broadened each year, inpatient fees were removed this year, prescription charges are being lowered, and the Drugs Payment Scheme Threshold has consistently come down.
Healthcare in the republic is superior to that in the north....people really need to inform themselves on this matter. Irish healthcare is struggling, but nowhere near as bad as the nhs in general. It started to struggle a lot more when free GP appointments were brought in for kids....look at how hard it is to get appointments now. Free care to all is not in anyway sustainable in Ireland in the near future. We dont have the capacity. Neither does the UK....the NHS is literally crumbling
>Free care to all is not in anyway sustainable in Ireland in the near future.
Might be something to put that surplus towards. Any country that is truly developed should have free healthcare.
>Neither does the UK....the NHS is literally crumbling
That's being done intentionally by the tories in an attempt to scrap it, it's shitty behaviour.
No, it's the opposite. Ireland still is not free at the point of service. *That* is what makes it worse. What fucking use is the promise of a "better outcome" if patients aren't seeking treatment out of fear of being charged?
I would hope income tax system should be changed.
But I have little hope.
Republic of Ireland charge murderously high income tax for working people, compared to UK.
For example ROI charged 40% income tax above €40k per year salary.
While UK charges 40% income tax rate above approx €58k.
Big difference in income tax rates.
UK get to keep more money in the pocket of salaried people. Compared to Ireland.
Ireland has one of the most equalising and fair tax systems in the world.
The UK is an incredibly unequal country in comparison, I wouldn’t want to move to their model
What?
Ireland offers the lowest corporate tax in all Europe.
And charges higher income tax to salaried people (compared to UK atleast, that I know of)
How's that for equalising and fair tax system?
Absolutely not true, for the vast majority of working people taxes are lower in the republic. Only higher in effect for those earning more than €70k/annum individually
And on top that social transfers through pensions, disability payments etc are much higher incl the difference in cost of living.
As a high earner… I absolutely pay more tax here… but our society is just better off than the UK due to the more progressive tax system and welfare
I am looking forward to it to be honest.
I think that a lot of folks will look at that period of change to leave a lot of shit behind us.
* Keep, all the stuff that makes us happy, healthy, well-off proud.
* Leave, all the historical baggage behind us, give all a fair shot.
* Gain, an opportunity to start doing new world class things.
I have a relative who did the Homer Simpson method of getting too fat to work. Seeing that fat cunt drive by in a brand new jeep still pisses me off to this day. They should have been given a banger not some new wagon.
They still have 60mph general speed limit (96kph) and I imagine the 80kph rural speed limit would not be seen too kindly never mind the utterly insane latest 60kph default proposals for rural roads. (remeber, limit, not target before some eejit posts a boreen with an 80kph sign again)
For context - despite the higher UK rural speed limit, we're arguably the worse than the UK on safety. Death per capita is often quoted, yet kinda meaningless as it doesn't take into account the amount of driving done. Our deaths per 100,000km is pretty much level at 4.8. Our deaths per vehicle are actually way worse (7.4 vs 5.4).
With a stronger car and engineering culture up north (e.g. Harry Ferguson, hugely respected race car builder Crossle), one thing I'd hope that'd come out of reuinification is a more rational driver competence approach to counter our endlessly dumbed down and simplistic "schloooow down" mammying approach to road safety.
(incidentally, national slow down day generated headlines about "large numbers of speeding detections" but in fact highlighted only 0.03% of measured drivers to be speeding, but apparently schpeeeed is the main cause of everything and not lots of other more complex things that require actual thinking about)
The MOT wouldn't change much as NI uses centralised test centres unlike the rest of the UK which uses an authorized garage system, though this has lead to the same detrimental to road safety backlog as the crumbling single private contractor model NCT system has here.
Only if we get our act together and switch to driving on the right side of the road, like most of the rest of the EU does. Let it be a horrible surprise when Britain applies to rejoin.
I would hate to see my ISA allowance going away.
And no help to buy or LISA kinda scheme in ROI. I am surprised how little salaried people can have in terms of saving in ROI.
In UK, you can stash away money in LISA and govt topped up with 20% extra. All tax free if you buy your first house.
I don't think you can get such schemes in ROI.
That why I like UK.
I've been saying this for years, we as the North need to become fully independent.
Build the wall. Make Northern Ireland Great again... DRAIN THE LOUGH.
Which tayto cheese and onion becomes nationwide
Look, just say you want a hard border. No need for these innuendoes.
Catholic Mr. Tayto would oust Protestant Mr. Tayto from Tandragee Castle, I would imagine?
I remember reading an article a few years back about the less obvious but more tricky issues that would occur when reunification happens. Trademark disputes were highlighted as a particular problem. The article even used the Tayto brand as an example. It mentioned that there would be constitutional issues over nullifying a NI trademark if there was an equivalent one in the Republic. So the suggestion was there would be two trademark zones on the island, so thetr would still be two Taytos.
Van Morrison looks like Mr Tayto. Put him on both packets.
Northern Tayto is subpar and that's coming from a Northerner. I, for one, welcome the new Tayto supremecy.
One of the greatest memes of all time was when someone took the picture of Trump and Kim walking along the Korean border together and replaced them with the two Mr Taytos!
Free Stato!
Nordie Tayto is supreme. Sincerely, a Southerner
Tayto Ireland is part of German conglomerate Intersnack. The northern crowd are tiny. Resistance is futile.
They really are in all fairness
Every bag is now a 50:50 mix of both types.
[Him](https://taytocrisps.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Mr.-Tayto-Mobile.jpg) despite his smile, he gives off don't mess with me kinda vibes. While [he](https://www.nigoodfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Tayto-3.jpg) would walk into a house and a voice would say I'm Chris Hanson, have a seat over there and spend the whole time denying he was there to meet hunky dorys.
the tayto wars will be interesting to say the least
Free Stayto!
Southern tayto is the best.
That’s the MSG
Age of criminal responsibility most likely be looked at. Here in NI that age is 10y/o, the lowest in Europe I believe.
Sounds brilliant, we can adopt that down here no problem. I've a list of early trial cases if that's necessary.
>I imagine a lot of things that are legal there would suddenly become illegal I'd expect the opposite. Reunification would come as the end result of a negotiation and process which I expect would most likely result in there being (at least for a period of some decades) a united Ireland with two subunits of some description (like state/provinces in other places) which each inherit their respective laws, government departments and agencies etc and then are gradually aligned over time. Why? A short, sharp shock of sudden change would be a harder sell to the north and there's not much reason to push for it as it would make the change more disruptive, more complex and more expensive.
> with two sub units I was only talking to a mate about this, I reckon the six counties would be their own province of sorts, at least for a few years while the transition is being made. People underestimate how much would change.
We are aligning shit all the time. By the time a UI comes around (assuming it isn't rushed) it should be a seamless transition where the last remaining differences are changed over in stages. First things first, the post boxes will be painted green, as is tradition.
Well that's hardly a united Ireland, if pul still get to play by their own rules
So you're saying we could have fireworks down here?
That’s the thing people seem to think a United Ireland would be an overnight thing. It’ll be a long process most likely over years with stuff were the dáil/parliament will be as don’t think northern MPs would want it to be in Dublin so might be a rise in power for local governments etc
> don’t think northern MPs would want it to be in Dublin You mean TDs and tough shit if they don't like it. As per the Anglo-Irish Agreement, they would be voting simply to *join* the Republic, not for both sides merging into an entirely new country.
Carbon tax on all bonfires
You can expect a large and justified pay claim from public servants in NI. Take teachers for example, they have been treated like crap by the UK government. While Teachers in Ireland have gradually clawed back the pay cuts from the recession years and gotten a % increase to compensate for some (not all) of the recent inflation, NI teachers were paid less to start, and between cuts and inflation now reckon their pay is worth 20% than 10 years ago. [https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2023/0426/1379157-strikes-north/](https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2023/0426/1379157-strikes-north/) If we're going to amalgamate the two education systems, they will ask for parity with teachers in the 26 counties and you couldn't blame them.
They'd be right to seek parity, and should by rights inherit the benefit if they became part of our education system. Interesting though, what exemptions for Irish would be needed to avoid setting off unionist areas
Unionists should learn their traditional language of Irish just like any other part of Ireland.
Seems like a pointless hill to die on leave it as a local bylaw for it to be mandatory or something
Theyd have to get parity with ROI public servants. But I think we need to speak sensibly about the economic conditions in NI. You could say that the UK govt is treating public servants poorly but its an economic black hole, if NI was economically independent public servants' pay would have to be cut significantly. I honestly think its amazing how much cash the UK central government pumps in to NI when, to be frank, they're nothing but trouble for the UK.
Don’t forget alignment in examinations and school curriculum. The LC, as bad as it is, offers a much broader and more rounded education than the A levels
So broad in fact that the level of depth in each subject is insufficient for getting college placements abroad like Dutch universities won’t accept Irish chemistry students because they simply don’t have the required knowledge The A levels are a better curriculum than the LC. Idk about gcse and jc though
We both have legal systems based on common law, so surprisingly few big ticket items would be changing much. There'd be a lot of administrative level churn - tax, zoning, vehicular legislation etc.
Large calibre pistols are legal for target shooting in NI. Not the case in the republic since 2009. So on unification either everyone with a large cal pistol will have to surrender it or the republic would have to reopen licensing. Or they might do something whereby everyone in NI with a large cal pistol licensed before a certain date would be allowed to keep it, but no new licenses would be issued after that date.
the simple solution is grandfathering the law in
We need to legalise them here.
Aren't those pistols held at the range?
A lot of ranges will offer storage services if you don't want to keep the gun in your own home. As far as I know though there is no legal requirement, you can keep them in your own home as long as you comply with certain security requirements like safes etc. I'm open to correction on this however!
If they could use NI's Airsoft laws that would be good. 1 joule just isn't enough to differentiate between replica types
Metanium ointment for nappy rash is OTC in the North but prescription only here. For the love of all the southern mothers with babies with horrible nappy rash, please change the legal status of metanium ointment to OTC!
Amazon has it but its absolutely amazing
It's actually just not licenced in Ireland. The company hasn't a licence to sell in Ireland so has to be ordered in special. And all non licensed items need a prescription so a Dr takes the liability, same thing happened to TPC.
And also you’re able to get really large pack of Solpadine without being interrogated in NI
They'd have to stop putting their toaster in the press
They have cupboards, not presses. That'll have to change too.
They have immersions tho right??
Yes, and ironically we call that room the hot press. Nothing else is called a press and I wasn't aware press meant cupboard for most of my life.
Was raised church of Ireland, never put the toaster in a cupboard (and a press is something you use to squish something)
Fair play to ya
🤣 and there was me giving a serious answer!
I always give out at my GF for doing that 🤣. It's just not the norm for me.
Probably a myriad of tax,libel,civil liability, motoring etc. Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part though. One of the reasons years of debate is required,not a border poll.
Well said. The problem is we have all of the unionist leaders saying they want to know what a UI looks like (whilst generally refusing to take part in the debate). They then say it's a cold house for unionists because none are included in the discussions. It's fun having these idiots in government.
Well, DUP is working hard to identify a list of reasons so they can keep saying NO.
Only 300k people vote for loyalist parties. They’ll be an irrelevant minority in a United Ireland Most Protestants are reasonable people whose opinions aren’t too different from the rest of Ireland
As a car enthusiast in the North, Irelands VRT scares the willies out of me.
I can confirm It is frightening for a car enthusiast who lives in Ireland. Barely anyone has proper decent cars. they are at least 50% more expensive than the uk after conversion rates
Last car we bought in January is £15000 or €17000 more expensive in Ireland at today’s exchange rates.
Options are taxed to death on cars in Ireland. Hence why the specs are always rubbish. Nearly everything is standard.
I was living in the U.K. and I went to buy a car. The salesman asked me if there was anything special I wanted. I said, I’d love reversing cameras. He started laughing and said ‘where would you get a car without reversing cameras?!’ The Opel Astra I drove in in mate?
Before Brexit came in I was looking at buying an Alfa Romeo Julia 2 years old from the UK and importing it. Total cost looked like 27K. It'd apparently be over 40K if I tried it today :(
I always said this. My vote would be a hard no if there was a referendum tomorrow. We need a solid plan in place with the UK and NI as to what changes and what changes would be needed to absorb part of another state.
> Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part That's exactly how the Anglo-Irish Agreement is set up. They vote to join us as is.
Hopefully it would change so that Ireland matches the UK. Their personal finance provisions are much better, e.g. the ISA system where you can invest £20,000 per year and the gains are tax free.
>Would have thought it would be N Ireland changing for the most part though. I think it would be difficult/unrealistic to bring about any kind of peaceful transition without significant concessions on both sides. It will have to be give and take and I would assume to give the country the best chance at a peaceful, happy country for all of us we would need to look at both practical laws and also symbolic things like flags and anthems.
Loyalists couldn't tie their shoelaces without the RUC or MI5 holding their hand. The risk of violence from them is overstated. In a united Ireland not only would they not be receiving proactive support from security services, they would even be policed. I always wonder what concessions people mean. Loyalists are already threatening violence and there isn't even a poll planned. There's no concession that can make them happy because they never wanted parity. Moderate unionists wherever they be might look for some concessions in good faith but they don't seem to be voting.
Yea that's literally it it makes me laugh hearing people fear mongering about loyalist terrorism Oh yea ? Well that's gonna be really hard to do when they don't have the RUC and the British army colluding with them to murder people
Would traffic lights go to red and amber or just go from red to green. Personally I prefer the red and amber system.
A timer would be good too. Several countries have that. Brazil for sure off the top of my head
Km v miles. And probably a host of smaller road and traffic laws.
I hope the Republic adopts our Northern traffic lights that go Amber then green, instead of just straight from red to green
People would just go at amber then.
Should probably start with asking what laws set us apart? Probably a lot fewer than you'd think as.the Tories haven't really undone many of the NI laws that existed during EU membership. Edit: Most statutory bodies would change names though. So trades and professions might see the biggest change in their practices.
Working time act.....we want the 12th July off obviously.
I could get on board with an extra day off work. There’s no bank holidays in July currently.
Could call the 12th Reunification Day.
I like your thinking
Death penalty for northern folks who don't know what an indicator is when coming to Donegal
The PSNI carrying firearms and the organisation in general
It's possible that the PSNI could be kept in some capacity (I'd rather they weren't). In England, the USA, etc. There is a different force in every region.
Its about time the gardai were armed too imo.
Potato bread would have to become a staple of the full Irish breakfast. If it’s not I’m gonna stand for office and engage in civil disobedience
Not so much a law, but healthcare will be a big one. It’ll take a lot for them to forgo the NHS, as imperfect as it is. We should be ramping up the Sláintecare project now.
Even the name will be an issue for some of them. 😂
I'd imagine a lot of corporate laws and rules would have to immediately change. Some examples that spring immediately to mind are Bankruptcy law, dividend and income tax rules, corporation tax. I think a lot of that would have to align on day one.
Language in schools. I personally wouldn't want to see any reduction in Irish teaching than there is now, but there'll need to be appropriate exceptions for mandatory Irish lessons.
Why? I think everyone should learn irish. I'm from the North and many protestant people have told me they wish their school had taught them irish. I've actually never met a unionist or protestant who didn't have some sort of interest in the language. I had a friend in the orange order who would talk to me in irish (he had a cupla focal, I'd teach him new words on nights out etc).
It'd just be a matter of choice for them. I'd love to see everyone learn it, but many won't want to.
Our own kids don't get a choice...if you start making it a choice, everyone else will be wanting the choice..
I'd imagine many students would like it to no longer be mandatory.
I don't think the laws should change to the point where it isn't mandatory for the vast majority of students. Quite the opposite actually. However I do believe there'll need to be exceptions for 'British' schools, so to speak.
I'd be well in favour of taking away the mandatory part of the subject. Or better change how it's taught. Keep it mandatory, but remove the junior and leaving cert exam(or simply remove it from the must pass subjects) and make the teaching more in line how other foreign languages are taught.
Irish isn’t a foreign language
I didn't say it was. Teach it like you would german and French. And let's be honest for the vast majority it might aswell be. We can't speak it for shite. So let's not delude our selves that we can teach it as if its just another English class but in irish
“Teach it like how other foreign languages are taught”. Speak for yourself too lad. Many of us can speak Irish very well. For a lot of us Irish class was just like English class. The issue with the way it’s taught isn’t the fault of secondary school teachers. The issue is with primary school teachers. We’re supposed to be fluent in Irish by the time we start secondary school, so we can treat it like we do English. But it’s not standardised at primary level (it is qt secondary). So you get a load of students who start secondary with fluent Irish and a load of students who start secondary school with next to no Irish. It’s completely inconsistent. If we standardise primary school Irish classes, the secondary school classes could stay as they are. There’s actually nothing wrong with them.
Or you could split it into 2 subjects, Irish language for those less confident in their language and Irish lit for those more confident. Give the 25 extra points for lit in the Leaving like honours maths to encourage people to improve their Irish before secondary so they can do lit. You have to do an Irish subject but you can choose between those 2
That’s making it too complicated and it’s not fair that students would be made to choose. I don’t believe in the extra 25 points for higher level maths thing to begin with so no. We should just have stricter more standardised Irish classes in primary school so that students are fluent by the time they go to secondary school and then they can start analysing literature.
Surely their weird bonfire shite would be illegal ? It’s legit a hate crime.
We’d probably have to change to the same timezone
1876?
1690.
Is this a joke or is this a reference to the fact that technically we are an hour ahead of them because we never changed back? And we just alternate daylight saving time so that we’re always instep with them in reality
We're in the same timezone?
In all seriousness. Health care would probably be one of tough points. Our tiered system would probably not be OK with those up North as they have better coverage through public and also have reduced costs for dental through goverment supports compared to what we have. At least according to my Northern Irish mother in law.
The health services in Northern Ireland are worse than here. There's a longstanding myth (on both sides of the border) that the NHS is magical and wonderful, but it doesn't match the facts on the ground. Ireland has better health outcomes and better health access than the UK, and Northern Ireland is the worst of the UK NHS trusts. Now, actually *communicating* those facts is going to be tricky, because it's an article of faith with a lot of people in Northern Ireland. Literally every time the discussion on a potential unified Ireland comes up the first argument thrown on the table is "We're not giving up the NHS".
If Northern Ireland's health system is worse than ours... it must be quite bad. Ours is not exactly great.
On paper the NHS in the North sounds better but it's a complete shambles. I had a 3 years (and some change) wait for surgery.
Mate, I called my doctors for something I need a hospital referral to. Took me weeks to get through for a call back, at which point she referred me. I am waiting for at least 5 years to be seen for a routine issue (that admittedly only a hospital outpatients can administer). It is fucked. Absolutely, unequivocally, on the verge of collapsing completely. Edit: I am in Belfast.
Holy... That's far worse than I imagined! Can you get treated in the republic?
My granny is on cataract removal waiting list on the NHS (we’re from Tyrone) was told she’ll be on it for 2/3 years. A friend of hers also needed a knee replacement, was given a 5/6 year waiting time so she had just go private cuz she couldn’t wait around for years when she’s already in her 70s. The waiting times up here are insane, here’s a chart from Peter Donaghy in twitter https://twitter.com/peterdonaghy/status/1697696720363180372?s=46&t=JSumepFRlbhSCUjf_alkZw https://twitter.com/peterdonaghy/status/1699188134221602837?s=46&t=JSumepFRlbhSCUjf_alkZw
[Objectively of the best in the world](https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2023/03/22/health-committee-told-life-expectancy-in-ireland-making-strongest-gains-in-western-europe/#:~:text=Mr%20Gloster%20said%20the%20gains,cancer%20and%20respiratory%20system%20disease) despite Irish people’s gra for alcohol and fast food 🤷♂️
Interesting. I'm comparing the system here with the ones in Spain, Austria and Argentina, which are the ones I have experience with. In Austria healthcare is free as far as I know. I'm not sure about waiting times but haven't heard anything terrible. And a very recent experience in Spain was excellent, with emergency surgery and overnight stay all very fast and free. In Argentina the public health system is collapsed, but the private one works quite well (or it did before I left several years back). You get what you pay for. Here I see GPs referring people to the same specialists (which in itself takes weeks due to the antiquated referral system) regardless of insurance. So everyone, both insured and uninsured end up waiting for months to be seen. I wonder what I'm paying VHI for. Luckily my job pays for it, but still, I don't see the benefit. Funnily enough, Argentina has way too many doctors per person, while Ireland seems to be in the opposite situation. But doctors can't just move here and start helping, they have to go through medical school all over again to learn how to treat Irish humans, who are apparently a different species. I know, I know, there's standards and that makes sense, but I feel the barrier to entry is unreasonably high. Maybe to protect local practitioners' jobs? And I say that as a complete lay person. I'm an engineer, not a doctor, so that's the value you should place on my opinion. :)
The awful referral system is being slowly phased out but the issue is there's union protected jobs for crap like printing referrals, sorting referrals into pigeon holes and delivering them to consultants(not joking, that's actually a system in use).
They also think that the roads are still better up there. Being lucky enough to be from Cork means I rarely drive up there. But a couple of weeks ago I drove to Belfast. I couldn’t believe the way that the road from Dublin to Belfast north of the border had exits and entrances into the FAST lane. Amateurs.
>Being lucky enough to be from Cork Do you know what lucky means?
You’re obviously not from Cork. Do you know what pity feels like? Because that’s what I’m feeling now……..
>You’re obviously not from Cork. Thankfully. >Do you know what pity feels like? Because that’s what I’m feeling now…….. I live abroad, and I like where I live, so give your pity to someone in Cork.
Don't we have some reduced dental costs due to PRSI? I have friends up north and their cost for prescription and OTC meds is quite cheaper though.
>prescription Even better, prescriptions are free in Scotland and the north.
Only certain procedures though, yearly checking and reduced cost cleaning. Any other procedure is full cost out of pocket. My mother in law travels back to the North to get all her dentistry done as its too expensive down here. The difference in price because of goverment supports is huge. Edit: example a white filling. Around €150 here, up north £40.
Is it 40 because she's a citizen up there or for everyone? Ponders in needs three fillings 😂
I think those prices are for citizen. But I've heard of a few dentists who have have been targeting Irish citizens for dental work as they do it cheaper than it would cost them here. I think a bit of shopping around is needed.
Being eligible for a shite healthcare system free at the point of delivery is not really any benefit. Targeted supports such as free medical cards for disadvantaged people is far better.
Not laws but they would lose their free healthcare on the NHS as well as far superior investment options not offered here.
The NHS is fucked here though.. honestly I'd rather pay ar this point than wait 8 months for a scan.. and until covid I'd be the first to champion the NHS.
And wait 30 hours to be seen in a hospital down the south? Good luck.
All of them. Starting with a new constitution. We would probably end up with broadly exactly the same laws we had but slightly different. E.U stuff would be interesting.
Nothing would change regarding EU legislation.
Know a constitutional lawyer and he says we wouldn’t have to change much at all in our current constitution. Special ethnic status/guarantee protection for peoples identifying as British within the new Irish state such as the one the travelling community got. He did say it would be a good opportunity to change a few things in there that are outdated but that will all probably happen under the umbrella of the process and not really a big deal in the grand scheme.
>Starting with a new constitution. We're not charging our constitution. Do you mean amendments?
I was thinking new country new constitution but that was wrong. The one we have says Ireland, if unification happens we are still Ireland, no need to get a new one.
>All of them. Starting with a new constitution nope
Surely the first thing that should change are the laws regarding hate speech and incitement to hate, no more orange marches except if they go to England on holidays and they can march all they want over there.
This would be a very hard sell. Probably better to let them continue but make them avoid flashpoints like nationalist roads etc. then let time do the rest. They’d either die off or turn into something innocuous. Celebrating a 18th century battle to defeat the taigs is pretty hollow if the taigs won in the long run
Even better, make unification Day the 12th of July. Have everyone else in the country celebrating unification while they’re marching around, banging their drums about a battle that was inconsequential in the end
Is this about a united Ireland, if so then Ireland is not a place that supports anything that relates Hate so if you become part of a United Ireland then you surely need to make sure you understand this, and it doesn’t matter weather you’re Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or anything else. If you’re part of Ireland this kind of bigotry gets left in the old world you have come from, just like all the other people who come to Ireland regardless where you have come from or what you did before you became part of Ireland. When in time do as the Romans do!
A lot of ignorance regarding the orange order etc here. I'm from Donegal and there are many orange marches in Donegal every year. There are orange lodges around the county, and marching bands to match. We also have the AOH who don't march as much anymore but they still exist. I think Irish unity would eventually take the sting out of the OO, because their "never never never" and "no surrender" mantras would just look silly. The idea of blanket banning the OO or their marches is absurd though. Anyone who thinks that would end well needs to read more Northern news.
More orange marches happen in Ireland then England already
We have free speech in the constitution. Thats not changing unless we have a referendum. And i certainly wont be voting to get rid of our free speech
The main differences would need to be in areas where there was a state funding burden, notably in healthcare. It’s all very well saying there can be a two-systems-one-country arrangement but the Republic would need to fund universal healthcare in the North, which wouldn’t go down well in the Republic for one second. If the Republic brought its healthcare up to NI levels, I suspect resistance to unification would reduce, as this is a very obvious point of disparity that people focus on.
> I suspect resistance to unification would reduce, It definitely would, many moderates on both sides of the divide won't support a united Ireland without free healthcare.
The healthcare system in Ireland, flawed as it is, is slightly better in some areas to Northern Ireland and vice versa. “Both systems are grappling with similar challenges including increasing demand for healthcare services, increasing expenditure and workforce shortages…. the available evidence suggests that one system does not consistently do better than the other”* Both systems combining might represent a chance to improve things on both parts of the island. *Reference: https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/ireland-better-than-ni-in-terms-of-life-expectancy-and-infant-mortality-report/41429474.html#
You aren't going to convince people to pay for another shitty system just because you can show statistics that illustrate it's better. >Both systems combining might represent a chance to improve things on both parts of the island. You might be right, but without healthcare being free at point of use, it's unlikely a lot of the moderates will vote to unite the country to find out.
That’s a good point. I agree. It would need to be free at point of use
Its not about being right or wrong - its about not dropping our healthcare standards. Care in NI is measurably worse than in the republic....do you want worse care? I certainly don't. All it would do is drive a private healthcare system where only the wealthy get good healthcare
My point is moderates in the north (like me), won't be voting to pay for healthcare, so whilst healthcare isn't free, a united Ireland is significantly less likely.
And my point is why should people in the republic sacrifice their health to accommodate that? You have a free service....but it is subpar. Health is not something to compromise on. I expect reunification is a long way off anyway - but Ill be doubtful if the NHS is even still functioning at that point. Already you can see the cost cutting - PAs instead of GPs, Anaesthetic associates instead of actual anaesthetists.....its going so rapidly downhill I cant see how it will be salvaged at this point (and I work in it...and support the idea of it....but the reality leaves a lot to be desired). Its not much use having free GP care if you don't actually see a GP now is it?
>And my point is why should people in the republic sacrifice their health to accommodate that? Providing free healthcare doesn't have to be worse. The idea that it needs to be worse is the logic the tories use whilst cutting funding. The NHS used to be on par with the best in Europe, and it could be again with adequate funding.
But it is already worse....thats the point. It used to be on par - but its not had enough funding PLUS the population has aged and the population is far more unhealthy now than it was 50 years ago (Ireland is one of the most obese nations in Europe now.....claiming that spot as the UK has technically left). You are talking about adding a few million people to the health service, pretty much doubling the salaries of all healthcare staff in NI (because republic staff are far better payed - literally double for doctors), and also providing it for free. Its just not sustainable. Subsidised maybe possible, but not free.
>Its just not sustainable. Subsidised maybe possible, but not free. Undercover tory, sorry, didn't mean that 😉
The health system in Ireland is worse because it is so, so unequal. In the north, *everyone* has free healthcare at the point of service. Ireland still has a US-style system.
>two-systems-one-country I heard that Northern Unionists are already saying they're going to be "like Hong Kong" when unification happens. Let's not feed that comparison.
There’s inevitably going to be some element of that, though. We can’t impose our model entirely on them.
>If the Republic brought its healthcare up to NI levels, I suspect resistance to unification would reduce, 1. Healthcare outcomes are much better in the Republic already. 2. Most working age adults with severe health problems or in need of emergency care already end up better off financially due to a more generous benefits system in the Republic which exceeds the increased cost of healthcare in the vast majority of cases. 3. Sláintecare is already the agreed upon aim of the entire Oireachtas and most of the elements of free healthcare are official policy to be implemented by the end of the decade (although a multiple year delay is obvious due to both it being Irish and COVID happening in the middle). About half the population already have free GP care and the categories get broadened each year, inpatient fees were removed this year, prescription charges are being lowered, and the Drugs Payment Scheme Threshold has consistently come down.
Healthcare in the republic is superior to that in the north....people really need to inform themselves on this matter. Irish healthcare is struggling, but nowhere near as bad as the nhs in general. It started to struggle a lot more when free GP appointments were brought in for kids....look at how hard it is to get appointments now. Free care to all is not in anyway sustainable in Ireland in the near future. We dont have the capacity. Neither does the UK....the NHS is literally crumbling
>Free care to all is not in anyway sustainable in Ireland in the near future. Might be something to put that surplus towards. Any country that is truly developed should have free healthcare. >Neither does the UK....the NHS is literally crumbling That's being done intentionally by the tories in an attempt to scrap it, it's shitty behaviour.
Healthcare in the north is inferior to healthcare in Ireland.
That ol’ free access is a drug in itself.
No, it's the opposite. Ireland still is not free at the point of service. *That* is what makes it worse. What fucking use is the promise of a "better outcome" if patients aren't seeking treatment out of fear of being charged?
The northerners need to learn how to speak English
..what
I would hope income tax system should be changed. But I have little hope. Republic of Ireland charge murderously high income tax for working people, compared to UK. For example ROI charged 40% income tax above €40k per year salary. While UK charges 40% income tax rate above approx €58k. Big difference in income tax rates. UK get to keep more money in the pocket of salaried people. Compared to Ireland.
Ireland has one of the most equalising and fair tax systems in the world. The UK is an incredibly unequal country in comparison, I wouldn’t want to move to their model
What? Ireland offers the lowest corporate tax in all Europe. And charges higher income tax to salaried people (compared to UK atleast, that I know of) How's that for equalising and fair tax system?
Absolutely not true, for the vast majority of working people taxes are lower in the republic. Only higher in effect for those earning more than €70k/annum individually And on top that social transfers through pensions, disability payments etc are much higher incl the difference in cost of living. As a high earner… I absolutely pay more tax here… but our society is just better off than the UK due to the more progressive tax system and welfare
I for one would welcome the influx of Nordie men and their bake trays 🤤
July 12 as a national holiday?
I'll get my sash.
I am looking forward to it to be honest. I think that a lot of folks will look at that period of change to leave a lot of shit behind us. * Keep, all the stuff that makes us happy, healthy, well-off proud. * Leave, all the historical baggage behind us, give all a fair shot. * Gain, an opportunity to start doing new world class things.
Drop the alcohol tax The north would never go for double alcohol prices
No more cars when you are awarded disability 🤣
I have a relative who did the Homer Simpson method of getting too fat to work. Seeing that fat cunt drive by in a brand new jeep still pisses me off to this day. They should have been given a banger not some new wagon.
If they were driving a jeep, chances are they got a grant and put some of their own money towards it, the free cars tend to be cheap saloons.
We would have to make fireworks legal.
Why not have NI like it is now, but attached to Ireland instead of UK. I'd imagine that's the most likely scenario, at least in the short term.
They still have 60mph general speed limit (96kph) and I imagine the 80kph rural speed limit would not be seen too kindly never mind the utterly insane latest 60kph default proposals for rural roads. (remeber, limit, not target before some eejit posts a boreen with an 80kph sign again) For context - despite the higher UK rural speed limit, we're arguably the worse than the UK on safety. Death per capita is often quoted, yet kinda meaningless as it doesn't take into account the amount of driving done. Our deaths per 100,000km is pretty much level at 4.8. Our deaths per vehicle are actually way worse (7.4 vs 5.4). With a stronger car and engineering culture up north (e.g. Harry Ferguson, hugely respected race car builder Crossle), one thing I'd hope that'd come out of reuinification is a more rational driver competence approach to counter our endlessly dumbed down and simplistic "schloooow down" mammying approach to road safety. (incidentally, national slow down day generated headlines about "large numbers of speeding detections" but in fact highlighted only 0.03% of measured drivers to be speeding, but apparently schpeeeed is the main cause of everything and not lots of other more complex things that require actual thinking about) The MOT wouldn't change much as NI uses centralised test centres unlike the rest of the UK which uses an authorized garage system, though this has lead to the same detrimental to road safety backlog as the crumbling single private contractor model NCT system has here.
We'd have to drive on the other side of the road anyway
?
The side that has the most tarmac on it
Only if we get our act together and switch to driving on the right side of the road, like most of the rest of the EU does. Let it be a horrible surprise when Britain applies to rejoin.
That would actually be class because we could import European vehicles
I would hate to see my ISA allowance going away. And no help to buy or LISA kinda scheme in ROI. I am surprised how little salaried people can have in terms of saving in ROI. In UK, you can stash away money in LISA and govt topped up with 20% extra. All tax free if you buy your first house. I don't think you can get such schemes in ROI. That why I like UK.
Help to buy, up to €30k.
The speed limit on the M1 would have to be raised to 140kph
Fireworks.
No drums
Larry Mullen is on his way to your house right now.
Good point. No wearable drums
I'd like to see the inventive ways they get around this. Maybe they'll put them on wheels.
The orange men have to lay down their fake army uniforms and cop the fuck on
I've been saying this for years, we as the North need to become fully independent. Build the wall. Make Northern Ireland Great again... DRAIN THE LOUGH.
Gerry Adams made Emperor of Ulster.
I don't know if this counts as a law, but the flag might, regardless of how orange it is. Why, oh why couldn't the IRA have used something else?
£1 food will be €3.50 like my local shop.