Ulster Unionist leader urges Irish Republic to rejoin British Commonwealth

sirpeter, i read your response regarding my post and as an Irishman who has no bitterness, it was brilliant! I'm still laughing. Thanks.

@AMWilson - couldn't have said it better meself!

Now THAT is a good idea, seanomelb.

First of all, the Queens visit was only a resounding success with a few people like this feeble brained idiot. Because of the Queens visit people were put in jail for reasons such as holding a piece of paper for someone else to read. Tim Idiot needs to know he does not speak for the Irish.

@Eiriamach - Oh dear; just goes to show that its not good to try and count with a few glasses of wine taken :)

falconflash, I liked the China joke but, please, spare us the anti-semitism.

Would this mean that Cameron could send the parachute regiment to Dublin to "keep the peace" during austerity protests?

Barneyjo, the 53rd state? Oooops! I didn't even notice the 51st and 52nd?

@SAirish - A close relationship? In a sense yes, but up to relatively recently been a love/hate (with emphasis on the hate) relationship. That it has altered dramatically, no doubt; due in no small measure to a happy and accidental confluence of the right personalities combined with the tide and the logic of history coming to bear. The relationship with Britain is closer, but not uniquely so. Its not all that long ago that I recall a serious debate about the Republic of Ireland making a serious appication to be come the 53rd State in the American Union; not as fanciful as you might think when you consider how far the Hawaiin Islands are from a) the continental United States, and b) Washington DC. The serious point is that the UK is the nearest neighbour and it makes absolute sense to be on good terms, for many of the reasons you outline; but I think you'll find that the Irish diaspora are just as prevalent (perhaps not numerically) as a minority in countries across all five continents ( some more than others I'll grant you :) )

25% of Australians are of Irish heritage or Irish born.Maybe we should have the united republics of Oz/ Ireland.

I don't believe that Scotland's departure from the UK, if it happens that is, would make any difference to Ireland joining the Commonwealth. If Scotland goes it alone, it will stay in the Commonwealth and will keep the Queen as head of state. How does that affect Ireland joining the Commonwealth? The UK has the largest number of Irish born citizens living in it outside Ireland, totaling about a million. Most of them are keen that Ireland and the UK have closer links. Irish immigration to the UK has dramatically increased especially since no VISA is required from Irish citizens entering the UK. Ireland has closer relaitionship to the UK than any other country and that is fact of life.

Barenyjo is probably right about Elliott's motive, but I think the idea is just too far out to be taken seriously when Scotland is looking to depart. He'll give the Trinity College crowd a good laugh. "Tom Elliott believes recent events, including the Queen’s visit, indicate Ireland could return to the Commonwealth family." He reminds me of a certain type of male all women have known. If we smile when we say hello to them, they think we've invited them into our bedrooms. Lizzy doesn't want Ireland in her bedroom-- there's no spirit of adventure in the Windsors. And what would happen to Irish music and publishing in that 'family' of 32 republics that Elliott calls a "Commonwealth"? Probably the same thing that happened to the wealth of Irish food exports in the 1840s. If the Irish are looking for a "commonwealth" to join, the US State of Massachusetts is still officially a "commonwealth," agus bheadh fáilte romhaibh ag bhur gcairde ann, cinnte.

This guy can go and f**ck himself.

Its not an impossible scenario I'll grant you, but not in the current context as suggested by Tom Elliott. It is regrettable, but it has to be said that on current form he is the leader of a party in search of a vision, not for the Island of Ireland, but rather for the party of which he is the leader. Its simply a way to seem relevant within the body politic, as this party has been increasingly irrelevant for a long time. Its a point of focus for the membership to focus on rather than the fear that the Act of Union is about to be broken by the departure of Scotland from the current status quo. So, a party on the lookout for a good idea, nothing more!!

Breaking news. Ulster Unionist Party chief Tom Elliott caught smoking crack.