“It is a state seeking to divide its neighbour…”
Sound familiar?
Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, the island of Ireland has been partitioned into two jurisdictions — the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The deal was struck after the British refused to relinquish six counties in the North. You’ve probably heard about that at some point over the course of your life.
The fraught matter of Irish partition has been made more complicated recently by the British decision to exit the European Union, thus putting a land border between the EU and the UK squarely on our doorstep.
Avoiding a hard border between the two states has become a major political challenge for politicians on all sides of the issue, and Ireland’s government has been insistent that no such border can be implemented.
In an article for the Spectator, writer James Forsyth characterised this in a particularly jarring way, referring to Ireland as “a state seeking to divide its neighbour.” It has left many Irish people scratching their heads in utter bemusement.
This is, as far as I can tell, a real thing that a British commentator has written in a published article about Ireland. pic.twitter.com/o5C6C7X49y
— Paraic O'Donnell (@paraicodonnell) November 23, 2017
The bizarre statement that Ireland is trying to divide Britain comes just days after a member of the House of Lords suggested that Donegal should join the United Kingdom.
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