Times journalist claims that Ireland is 'not a proper nation'
We disagree.
Melanie Phillips, a journalists with The Times in London, trending at the moment after she claimed in an article that Ireland has a "tenuous claim to nationhood."
Phillips' claim that Ireland is not a proper country and should be leaving the EU as part of Britain has drawn a lot of, let's say, exercised responses on social media.
She wrote: "Does that mean that Westminster should tear up the Good Friday agreement and bid farewell to Northern Ireland? No, because it has an obligation to the Unionists; and because the claim to unite Ireland is tenuous since Ireland itself has a tenuous claim to nationhood, having seceded from Britain as the Irish Free State only in 1922."
She went on...
"Britain, by contrast, is an authentic unitary nation."
Needless to say, her words have made her very unpopular on this side of the Irish Sea.
This is genuinely gas. Ireland is not actually a nation you see, merely upstarts who 'seceded' from the real nation: Britain. 😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/M2ZaBPoCjt
— Gabhan Ó Sirideáin (@gavinsblog) March 7, 2017
Surely a runner for most stupid comment of the week on Ireland & UK? Entrant: Melanie Philips. #Brexit #indyref2 https://t.co/7YcrNw0yxn
— Gerry Hassan (@GerryHassan) March 7, 2017
@weecass1888 Scotland is not a country. Tory tosser on RT. Ireland is not a country. Melanie Philips in Times. Empire beckons
— scott mcnaughton (@RedcliffeScott) March 7, 2017
When did Melanie Philips start writing for The Onion?
— Kristoff (@mrsanderzisin) March 7, 2017
Celts? What Celts? https://t.co/CmmDNcqIPQ
— Gabhán Ó Raghallaigh (@gavreilly) March 7, 2017
