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Should there be a united Ireland? Should there be a united Ireland?
Yes, Ireland should be united Yes, Ireland should be united
No, Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom No, Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom
Northern Ireland should become its own independent country Northern Ireland should become its own independent country
Ireland should be united as part of the United Kingdom Ireland should be united as part of the United Kingdom
A united Ireland would allow Northern Ireland to have a greater voice A united Ireland would allow Northern Ireland to have a greater voice
Brexit has made a united Ireland necessary Brexit has made a united Ireland necessary
It would streamline Ireland's economy It would streamline Ireland's economy
Ireland is one nation and should be one sovereign state Ireland is one nation and should be one sovereign state
British rule in Ireland was never legitimate British rule in Ireland was never legitimate
The majority of people in Ireland as a whole support it The majority of people in Ireland as a whole support it
Britain doesn't care about Northern Ireland Britain doesn't care about Northern Ireland
The Northern Irish people want to be part of the UK The Northern Irish people want to be part of the UK
It would disrupt the hard-won peace It would disrupt the hard-won peace
It would be giving in to the IRA It would be giving in to the IRA
Northern Ireland is too expensive for Ireland to administer Northern Ireland is too expensive for Ireland to administer
Brexit showed the dangers of major change by referendum Brexit showed the dangers of major change by referendum
Neither Britain or Ireland have Northern Irish interests at heart Neither Britain or Ireland have Northern Irish interests at heart
Northern Ireland has its own distinct culture Northern Ireland has its own distinct culture
All of Ireland would be stronger as part of the UK All of Ireland would be stronger as part of the UK
Debate Mini Map

Should there be a united Ireland?
Back to question

No, Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom

< (2 of 4) Next position >

Northern Ireland is too expensive for Ireland to administer

Northern Ireland is a very costly region to govern and a small country like the Republic of Ireland could not do so
< (4 of 5) Next argument >

Context

Northern Ireland is extremely expensive to administer. It costs the UK £9.2bn every year to keep governing it thanks to a large public sector, high benefit payments, very high policing costs and an economy that does not return as much in taxes as the rest of the UK.

The Argument

As a large country and economy, the UK is able to afford to maintain services in Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland’s economy, on the other hand, is too small to do so. If the Republic of Ireland were to spend £9.2bn every year on Northern Ireland, this would mean those in the Republic would pay around £2,000 per person per year, a cost that could be crippling, especially as Ireland is still recovering from the adverse effects of the 2007-09 global financial crisis. Irish people would have to pay even more when transitional costs are accounted for.

Counter arguments

The people of the Republic of Ireland repeatedly been told of the financial cost of a united Ireland, but still support it, showing that those affected by the cost do not believe it is an important enough reason to prevent Irish unification from happening. Ireland’s economy, though not as strong as it was during the “Celtic Tiger” years, is very strong, thanks to the presence of many large American tech companies in Ireland. Because of this, Ireland has a high GDP and the eighth-highest average wage in the world, meaning the country could afford to pay for unification. In addition, a very large amount of the cost of a united Ireland would be offset by the streamlining of public services. Currently, administering two separate states on the island of Ireland creates a great deal of financial waste. This would make a united Ireland far more affordable than the headline figures may suggest.

Premises

[P1] Northern Ireland costs a great deal of money to govern [P2] A small country like Ireland cannot afford this [P3] Therefore, a United Ireland should not occur

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The costs of a United Ireland would be lower after streamlined public sector costs [Rejecting P2] Ireland can afford the costs of a United Ireland

References

This page was last edited on Monday, 20 Apr 2020 at 07:44 UTC

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