No Thatcher

I don't understand why the UK is still holding onto Northern Ireland (speaking from an outside American point of view).

The situation in Northern Ireland is far more complicated than the stereotype "evil British oppressing the Irish" which your use of "holding onto" implies. Roughly half the population of Northern Ireland wants to be part of the UK and half of it doesn't for a very long and complicated series of reasons.

The British and Irish governments, working together, have been trying for decades to find a solution, which it now seems they have done with the end of terrorism, reduction of the Army and implementation of the power-sharing executive.
 
The situation in Northern Ireland is far more complicated than the stereotype "evil British oppressing the Irish" which your use of "holding onto" implies. Roughly half the population of Northern Ireland wants to be part of the UK and half of it doesn't for a very long and complicated series of reasons.

The British and Irish governments, working together, have been trying for decades to find a solution, which it now seems they have done with the end of terrorism, reduction of the Army and implementation of the power-sharing executive.

Rattslinger,

Just to reinforce Shimbo's comments, it's not as simple as is often made out and you might be surprised to hear a lot of Catholics are in favour of the Union. It was one of the things that surprised me when I did a tour out there in the 1990s, when all you are used to are the news reports, was how many Catholics were actually in favour of NI remaining part of the UK.
 
Rattslinger,

Just to reinforce Shimbo's comments, it's not as simple as is often made out and you might be surprised to hear a lot of Catholics are in favour of the Union. It was one of the things that surprised me when I did a tour out there in the 1990s, when all you are used to are the news reports, was how many Catholics were actually in favour of NI remaining part of the UK.

Interesting thread might be what would have happened if the British army wasnt sent into N Ireland in 1969 and the Northern Irish Parliament was still up and running.
 

hammo1j

Donor
Probably the best time to kill Thatcher was in the challenge to Heath for the leadership. OTL she was a stalking horse that would be beaten once the big boys entered the fray.

In the dark days of 1975 Thatcher's Free Market economic ideas were considered too radical to be acceptable to the electorate. The consensus was ever creeping socialism until Europe was inenvitably engulfed by the USSR as the Tanks rolled across the plains of Germanyl.

When you consider the tide of defeatism and socialist inevitabilty that she virtually single handedly turned around, your admiration for her grows and its no wonder she looks like a burnt out hulk these days.
 
Interesting thread might be what would have happened if the British army wasnt sent into N Ireland in 1969 and the Northern Irish Parliament was still up and running.

Joe

I fear the result might have been a serious bloodbath and the explusion/fleeing of many of the Catholic minority. Not only were they outnumbered but the Protestants had very much a stranglehold on much of the administration and services, including the police of course.

Steve
 
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