I imagine this will be confusing for Northern Ireland Unionists, and Republicans probably.
It's hard not to see this as a precedent. Perhaps even a precedent in international geopolitics. If Scotland has an inalienable right to secede by popular referendum, Why not Iraqi Kurdistan? Why Not Turkish Kurdistan? Why not Crimea?
It's a layered and weaved history. Northern Ireland's Gaelic culture is historically related to Isle of Mann and Northwest Scotland's Gaelic cultures. At certain points in history the spoken dialects, kinships and such were closer between these regions then they were between Northern Ireland and other parts of Ireland. Dublin was a Gaelic-Viking town, later a Anglo-Irish-Norman town.
During the 16th-18th centuries, "The Plantations" there was a lot of migration of Loyalists from the Scottish Lowland. Their descendants make up the majority of the island's Presbyterians. Some still call themselves (or their subdialect of English) Ulster (Norther Ireleand) Scots.
Obviously there is even more weaving and layering. There are mountains of historical threads, cultural similarities. The Highland clan system is related to the Northern Irish system. There was trade dating back to prehistoric times.
When Irish Nationalism was on the rise, strongly Republican and strongly Catholic, these people developed their own Unionist political identity.
The whole thing is predicated on being in the United Kingdom. With political identities UK becoming Welsh, Scottish, English, even Mannish (Is there a Cornish nationalism?), where does that leave the Ulster Scots (who generally don't go by that demonym)?
Confusing.
Maybe it will confuse some sense into the situation.
Not a strong one in the context of international law. But, There was a Crimean referendum and as illegitimate as it was, Crimea is now permanently Russian and the majority of locals seem to be alright with that.
If the UK releases Scotland peacefully and legally with full international recognition of the process and another region with national aspirations does the same elsewhere in the EU... That's how common law is made. Common law is hard to deny.
Obviously there's hair. Who gets to call a referendum? Who gets to gerrymander it? etc.
seems unlikely that either of those regions will wish to leave the union, as unlike Scotland they are both heavily subsidised by England (to the tune of about half of their budget).
In hindsight, I'm glad they shut it down. I've discovered so many alternatives. Like others in this thread, I've opted to go for Feedly. I like how it syncs across my desktop, mobile and tablet.
In some ways, it's a great thing we haven't even started coding. There's been no time to build this and the boss wants it done by October. One developer, one designer and a pretty big enough system is to be built in 3 months? I believe they're deluded. (Note: I've told her that it will take longer)
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