Religion aside, is all of Ireland culturally homogeneous?

[Loki]

I guess that's why the North has a much lower GDP and jobs than the South and why Britain has to pay so much money to keep it going?

Don't be ridiculous. The north has always been richer and more industrialized than the south. The current GDP disparity is purely due to European Union monetary influence in recent years, and joining the single currency... and you know it (I hope).

In fact. the Republic of Ireland was very close to bankruptcy only a few years ago.. until they were bailed out by the European Union (and, in effect, also by tax money from Northern Ireland residents...).

[Graham]

Don't be ridiculous. The north has always been richer and more industrialized than the south. The current GDP disparity is purely due to European Union monetary influence in recent years, and joining the single currency... and you know it (I hope).

In fact. the Republic of Ireland was very close to bankruptcy only a few years ago.. until they were bailed out by the European Union (and, in effect, also by tax money from Northern Ireland residents...).

The Irish did pay that back and some to be fair Loki. Unlike the South of Europe, Ireland came out the other end.

THE UK was massively bailed out by the IMF in the seventies and sold off that industry you mentioned to pay it back.

[Grace O'Malley]

Don't be ridiculous. The north has always been richer and more industrialized than the south. The current GDP disparity is purely due to European Union monetary influence in recent years, and joining the single currency... and you know it (I hope).

In fact. the Republic of Ireland was very close to bankruptcy only a few years ago.. until they were bailed out by the European Union (and, in effect, also by tax money from Northern Ireland residents...).

You are very wrong I'm afraid and you should know that the Irish financial crisis was due to the Irish Govt bailing out the banks. You can't ignore things like job growth and GDP which can't be all said to come from handouts. The North was left with all the industry when Ireland was partitioned but now they are a pale imitation of what they were.

Articles from the Belfast Telegraph.

The differential in overall economic performance, both on a levels and growth basis, is often the starting point for any economic comparison. The differential is stark. Irish GDP per head is much higher than it is in Northern Ireland (and indeed the UK).

Even using the modified measure of national income (GNI ), the differential remains significant. Expressed per head, GNI is more than 10% higher than GDP per head in the UK and roughly 45% higher than GDP per head in NI.

NI's poor GDP growth and its underlying weak productivity has long been a focus of policy makers.

Part of this is structural, with NI having a more modestly sized private sector and a limited multinational and plc sector.

Read the full article.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/b...-37233173.html

The increasingly faster expansion of the economy in the Republic - three times that of Northern Ireland - could advance further amid predictions of slow job creation here over the next two years, new research has shown.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/b...-36391516.html

[Loki]

You are very wrong I'm afraid and you should know that the Irish financial crisis was due to the Irish Govt bailing out the banks. You can't ignore things like job growth and GDP which can't be all said to come from handouts. The North was left with all the industry when Ireland was partitioned but now they are a pale imitation of what they were.

No, you are the one that is wrong. I live here... I should know. You don't. You only know what you read on some websites, and I can also tell you that that Belfast telegraph article you quoted is poor journalism, and doesn't look at the whole picture.

[Loki]

The Irish did pay that back and some to be fair Loki. Unlike the South of Europe, Ireland came out the other end.

THE UK was massively bailed out by the IMF in the seventies and sold off that industry you mentioned to pay it back.

No they didn't Graham. They have massive debt... Where did you get your information from? Everything is massively inflated in the Republic of Ireland since the euro came in... unrealistically so... hence these weird GDP figures you all of a sudden see for Ireland. But trust me, Ireland is no Switzerland or Netherlands... it's massively distorted. The Irish people are actually struggling with all their debt, and the country is also being overrun by non-European immigrants. Northern Ireland is far better off...

And we're not talking about the seventies here.

[Grace O'Malley]

No, you are the one that is wrong. I live here... I should know. You don't. You only know what you read on some websites, and I can also tell you that that Belfast telegraph article you quoted is poor journalism, and doesn't look at the whole picture.

Any information you read will tell you about Ireland's economy and how much better it is in comparison to the North even Northern Irish papers. So statistics mean nothing then. I have family in Ireland and have lived there for periods. Northern Ireland has a very bad economy and is hugely supported by the UK taxpayer.

The region was £9bn in the red, amounting to £5,052 per person, for the year 2008/09, according to figures just released by the Northern Ireland Executive.

That's almost three times the UK average of £1,785.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-14845296

Whereas any information you read about Ireland says the opposite to what you state.

The ESRI has doubled its growth forecast for the Irish economy for this year to almost 9 per cent, with growth being propelled by the twin engines of stronger-than-expected consumer spending on the domestic front, and a more favourable trade balance due to a decline in imports on the multinational side.

This will position the State as the fastest-growing economy in the euro zone this year. However, despite the upgrade, the ESRI also cautioned against an inflationary budget, and warned that its forecasts are based on an assumption that a Brexit deal will be struck by March 2019.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/...nomy-1.3641303

So to say that the North has a Protestant work ethnic and to infer that the Southern Irish don't have a good work ethnic is just plain bigotry. Statistics and any article you can link doesn't back up what you say.

[GreentheViper]

Maybe. I don't know if Northern Ireland even wants to unify though.

[Loki]

Northern Ireland has a very bad economy and is hugely supported by the UK taxpayer.

Total hogwash, and you call ME bigoted? Listen here missy, let me tell you: you don't have a clue. You're sitting in Australia with your bigoted and biased mindset, thinking you're got in all figured out. But in reality, you've got it all messed up! Your worldview is not a realistic one, and riddled with inaccuracies, half-truths and hoaxes.

Tell me one thing: why does the Republic of Ireland desperately want Northern Ireland to be unified with the south... but the Northern Irelanders DO NOT WANT IT -- even the Catholics living there? If the South was so rich and prosperous... this would make no sense whatsoever!

You've got it all wrong hun.

[Loki]

Maybe. I don't know if Northern Ireland even wants to unify though.

No, they don't. Absolutely not!

[Graham]

It's the potential instability in the North Of Ireland that has kept migrants from going. It has the same border rules as London does after all.

Northern Ireland is different to the Republic but also more different to England.