Barack Obama: 'Work still to be done in Northern Ireland'

[Baluarte]

Brits x.x.....

[rhiannon]

Protestant by culture/heritage

Fair enough.

[Albion]

But you're not Protestant either, rather you're an atheist, so why side with the Protestants? I choose the Catholics because they are simply fighting to retain their independence as a country apart from Britain. Ireland shouldn't have to abide the British Monarchy if she has no wish to.

If living in a Protestant country is that important, there are three other countries in the UK to choose from

He's trolling you. The Dutch played a role in securing Protestant domination over Ireland, especially under William of Orange. That is where the orange symbolism with the Protestant unionists comes from.
William of Orange was invited to invade England in a coup to overthrow the Catholic monarch. It was in his interests to secure England and the Isles as a protestant ally against aggressive, Catholic Spain which was the superpower of the time and threatening both.

[The Lawspeaker]

He's trolling you. The Dutch played a role in securing Protestant domination over Ireland, especially under William of Orange. That is where the orange symbolism with the Protestant unionists comes from.
William of Orange was invited to invade England in a coup to overthrow the Catholic monarch. It was in his interests to secure England and the Isles as a protestant ally against aggressive, Catholic Spain which was the superpower of the time and threatening both.

Not Spain. France. Spain was by then already just another annoying third rate power. A bit like France today.

[rhiannon]

He's trolling you. The Dutch played a role in securing Protestant domination over Ireland, especially under William of Orange. That is where the orange symbolism with the Protestant unionists comes from.
William of Orange was invited to invade England in a coup to overthrow the Catholic monarch. It was in his interests to secure England and the Isles as a protestant ally against aggressive, Catholic Spain which was the superpower of the time and threatening both.

Fuck lol....I feel like this should be common knowledge, but honestly, I don't think they teach this shit in our schools. Americans are really good at some things, and really BAD at others....among them being world history. Our schools are very Americentric.

[Albion]

Brits x.x.....

What?

[Graham]

The only work needed to be done is for occupied Ireland to be immediately reabsorbed into the Republic, Britain to compensate Ireland with some €250 billion for this and to resettle in Britain any Orange cunt who wants to stay British.

We're like a trillion pounds in debt haha. We couldnae afford a fish supper.

[Albion]

Fuck lol....I feel like this should be common knowledge, but honestly, I don't think they teach this shit in our schools. Americans are really good at some things, and really BAD at others....among them being world history. Our schools are very Americentric.

It's taught in schools here, I guess most people have some sort of knowledge on the issue (but not as much as they should). Everyone likes an underdog, Americans identify with Catholic Irish because of their own struggle for independence from Britain. Despite America looking more like the British Empire reincarnate by the day, Americans still have this whole rebel thing in their national identity that means they sympathize with other such rebels.

Schools can't teach everything, although more British & Irish history would be a good thing since many Americans have at least some ancestry from somewhere in the Isles.

[Graham]

For any American, remember that many of Northern Irish Protestant backgrounds, were fighters in Americas independence.

Scots from the Borders especially, & English there in fact. Moved over in the first place, they were in severe poverty.

Some American Presidents, are decedents from those folk.

[Albion]

We're like a trillion pounds in debt haha. We couldnae afford a fish supper.

It's not like it has to be paid back at once. The economy is something like $2.5 trillion with the loans being largely long term - 20 years, 50 years or more. So long as Keynesians in the Labour Party don't get to run the economy again, we should be all right (avoid adding too much new debt to what is already there).
Our debt was highest as a percentage during the Napoleonic wars (war debts + financing the allies) and during the American revolution.

NI should really be Scotland's problem anyway, it pisses me off how this is seen as an English problem. They're your colonists, the Irish are your supposed brothers. Let Edinburgh take responsibility for NI.