It is hard to understand how people can be so short-sighted and indeed nitwitted as to vote to leave a larger political and economic union, without the slightest idea of what was to happen afterwards. Or how politicians, with a hugely inflated view of their own country’s importance, can ignore economic and commercial practicalities in favour of an entirely unrealistic notion of sovereignty. No thought for how existing commercial relationships would be affected or how that would affect trade and employment. A ridiculous assumption that politicians and civil servants could set up new trade deals and would be better at it than those with practical experience.
That, however, is exactly what Sinn Féin did in 1918 and 1919, in its election manifesto and in the unicorn-bedecked “democratic programme” adopted by the first Dáil.
I say this not to excuse HM Brexiteers — I think that both they and Sinn Féin (past and present) are bonkers — but to suggest that outbreaks of mass insanity can happen to anyone.
Irish waterways history 
I understand the Brexit ( I prefer Britex). Twice they had to rescue the French and chastise the Germans.
Yes, with Brian G on this one, and don’t quite get Brian Phelan’s point.
Like, they (the UK) also had an “empire” – cobbled together over multiple centuries (with more than a fair share of brutality), and much as some Brexiteers I’ve heard, yearn for it back – it ain’t gonna happen again. Not anytime soon. Time / history has moved on. Like we, here, need to give up Civil War politics completely, they gotta let go of the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire did well, but it’s had its day.
Thanks for that Brian. I’m going to forward that to a few English folk I know will be horrified to discover they’ve a lot in common with Sinn Féin!
The civil wars of Europe in the last century was about appeasing the peasantry and giving them a land clearance, Biggle novels aside, Briton was not the only belligerent . Trade triumphed as it always does
Perhaps there are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy!
One cap as big and as diverse as the EU lumbering forward is a disaster waiting to happen . It does not work very well in Russia, has been the subject of a bloody civil war in the US and is not all that good now. ,The uk has gained and more or less peacefully disposed of the largest empire the world has ever seen or probably ever will.Who is to say that they are not correct now to insist on their own determination as did Ireland when it fought the uk for its own local determination.
What a silly analysis.
Sinn Fein in 1919 was the party that successfully resisted the imposition of conscription for an Imperial Army.
The EU is not an Empire. It does not project
it’s military power the way the British Empire did.
To say today’s Sinn Fein is the same as in 1919
is like saying oranges are the same as apples
because both are round.
You may have slightly missed my point, which was not about whatever motivated people to do whatever they did but about the stupidity of ignoring other factors, specifically the economic, when taking their rash decisions.
Note that I did not say that Sinn Féin is the same now as it was in 1919. The two versions may differ in several ways while being alike in one.
bjg