I can't work out if you're being thicker than Trigger and Trump together or are thinking that you're a terrific troll.

Northern Ireland is a country that is part of the UK.
Republic of Ireland is a country that is not part of the UK.
Both NI and RoI are parts of Ireland.
A united Ireland existed for a really long time.
RoI and NI have more in common than England and Wales, or England and Scotland, or England and Australia, or USA and Canada, or Czechia and Slovakia, or North Korea and South Korea, or lots of other places because they're really similar with significant people wanting them back together as one country.
Clarifying that RoI and NI are different countries is important.
Claiming that RoI and NI are entirely different is ignorant.
I'm cooking a pizza that is going to be really tasty.
Pretending that current borders are all that matters is short-sighted especially in today's world.
Pretending that current borders are all that matters when the discussion is focused on defining the EU border and given that NI is one of three regions which voted to remain in the EU is like trying to look at your tongue without a mirror or lenses or any other means of remote vision.
There UN doesn't define "Member States" as a proper noun so the capitals are erroneous.
The inverse is true for the Internet.
António Guterres completely agrees entirely with everything I've written, so dún na béal and pòg mo thòin.

No, you're just not getting the point.

Ireland = Republic of Ireland
Ireland ≠ Republic of Ireland + Northern Ireland

The Republic of Ireland is officially named Ireland.

If someone says Ireland, they should be talking about the country on that island that is mainly south and west of the border.

And if someone asks if Ireland is part of the UK, the answer is quite simply no.

You know when there are country fetes with a stall where you guess the number of sweets in a jar? Well how about you guess how many times you can be wrong and if you get it right you win.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ireland
noun uk ​ /ˈaɪə.lənd/ us ​ /ˈaɪr.lənd/ also Eire
an island containing the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ireland
Ireland (ˈaɪələnd ) noun
1. an island off NW Europe: part of the British Isles, separated from Britain by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel; contains large areas of peat bog, with mountains that rise over 900 m (3000 ft) in the southwest and several large lakes. It was conquered by England in the 16th and early 17th centuries and ruled as a dependency until 1801, when it was united with Great Britain until its division in 1921 into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ireland
Ire·land (īr′lənd)
1. An island in the northern Atlantic Ocean west of Great Britain, divided between the independent Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom. The island was invaded by Celts c. 500 bc and converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick in the fifth century ad. Ireland came under English control in the 17th century and was joined with Great Britain by the Act of Union in 1801. After the Easter Rebellion (1916) and a war of independence (1919-1921), the island was split into the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland, which is still part of the United Kingdom.

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/ireland
Ire‧land /ˈaɪələnd $ ˈaɪər-/ a large island to the west of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea. It is divided politically into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, and many people there belong to the Protestant religion. The Republic of Ireland has been an independent state since 1921, and most people there belong to the Roman Catholic religion. Ireland, especially the Republic of Ireland, is known for its beautiful green countryside, and is sometimes called the Emerald Isle. Many great writers in English come from Ireland, including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, and Samuel Beckett. → see also Republic of Ireland, the

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ireland
geographical name | Ire·land | \ ˈī(-ə)r-lənd \
1 or Latin Hibernia \hī-ˈbər-nē-ə\ island in western Europe in the Atlantic, one of the British Isles area 32,052 square miles (83,015 square kilometers)
Note: The island of Ireland is divided between the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ireland
Ireland proper noun
1 An island of the British Isles, lying west of Great Britain. Approximately four fifths of the area of Ireland forms the Republic of Ireland, with the remaining one fifth forming Northern Ireland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland
This article is about the island in Europe. For the sovereign state of the same name, see Republic of Ireland. For the part of the United Kingdom, see Northern Ireland.

https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=ireland
Assuming "ireland" is a country | Use as an island or an administrative division or a given name or a surname instead

:)

"Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland"

OK, so we're both right since the Republic of Ireland is called Ireland.

But to say Ireland is part of the UK is wrong. Ireland is not part of the UK, and that was the question.

For the sake of argument, Texas and California are in Mexico.

So, yeah. If that is that complicated it causes all ^ that. The rest of it is probably more so. It's just one of many reasons why this is a very stupid idea.

I kind of like how Martin Parr put it: "The vote was really an up yours to the southern elite, delivered by the people who probably will be most damaged by the result". If polling is to be believed, the remain side would win a referendum held now in a landslide.

I'm not so sure sure about that last sentence. Where are you seeing those landslide indications?

I find people conveniently ignore what they don't want to accept, even after facts are spelt out in detail from every angle, the evidence really rubbed in, they'll still cling to the smallest mote and insist on being right.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/16/new-brexit-poll-shows-people-back-remain-leave-10-points-7165717/

It appears Parr may be right:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/20/brexit-vote-exposure-trade-effects-report-uk-regions

He's right about it mainly fucking the mostly-leave voting areas. Of course it will, we have a Tory government who are systematically dismantling those same areas and rubbing their hands at the prospect of removing EU protection for the kinds of social welfare that exposes them more.
Not so sure about another referendum being an easy Remain. There a shitload of very vocal gammon-faced pricks who have only gotten further entrenched in their Leave opinion. And probably still a large quiet group who'll carry on agreeing with them. And about nine tenths of our shithouse press. Bah.

The gist of the poll was that leave and remain voters unlikely to change their minds; undecided shifted to remain.

BMG had the least accurate of all the polls on the day before the General Election, and published EU membership predictions varying from +3/-10/+8 in a short period of time, so a single result from them is not really sufficient evidence.

However, their own write-up on this poll is interesting, and indicates that people not voting in the referendum were split 50:50 a year ago and are now 80:20 remain, (whilst at the same time the graph there also suggests it's not just previously undecided people causing the difference).

The will of the people must be respected!

Thanks for the "clarity".  I won't pretend to completely understand it all, but the responses certainly make it more clear why the issue is complicated.

I suppose politicians will figure it a grey zone way to pull it off, but it certainly looks like the EU has the UK by the short hairs and will use this border issue to shake down the UK for more money and terms.



 

Thanks for the insights.  It is amazing to me that the presence of a border agent at cross over points would lead to people killing each other, but what do I know.

Growing up in N Ohio, we routinely traveled to the border area of the US and Canada.  Obviously these are very distinct countries, but the relationship was more like "visiting your aunt and uncle's home".  It is polite to knock, but everyone knows that you are always welcome.

Believe it or not, all that was needed was for the driver of the car to show their drivers license and everyone in the car was allowed through - both directions. 

Commercial traffic was even more organized, as auto companies had component factories on both sides of the border, so that traffic was expedited.

I guess this is what is called a soft border?

Unfortunately, crossing this same US / CAN border today is immensely more complex.  Sometimes it seems even harder than flying into Germany.