How Will Brexit Affect Northern Ireland? Passionate Twitter Thread Explains The Conundrum

'I remember checkpoints as a kid. I remember machine guns and dogs.'

There has been much debate about how the UK's decision to leave the European Union will affect issues ranging from the impact on the economy to Scotland's push for independence.

But one man has explained on Twitter how he felt the Leave vote has opened a can of worms for Northern Ireland.

Seamas O'Reilly said that Brexiteers had not properly considered how leaving the EU would affect Northern Ireland.

O’Reilly, who is from Derry but now lives in London, pointed out that Northern Ireland was the only country in Britain with an immediate EU border.

He continues:

1. My thoughts as a Northern Irish person on how NO LEAVERS REALISED that Brexit will likely precipitate utter carnage in NI and, thusly, UK

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

2. I'm angry that the NI point is never, ever discussed. Despite
the fact we are (a) the only people who have a land border w EU...

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

3. (b) simultaneously the only part of UK for which a border would prove
uniquely, and dramatically problematic...

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

4. (c) since we overwhelmingly voted for Remain because of the previous two reasons. So there's that. But it gets worse. It gets much worse.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

5. The fact is that either they put a militarised border between North
and South or all their talk of Fortress Britain is nonsense.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

6. A fully open border EXISTS between the UK and the EU; one such example is
my dad's back fence; a 15 second walk from ROI and thus the EU.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

7. You're French. You travel freely via EU to Dublin. Get bus to Lifford (3 hrs). Walk for 90 seconds to Strabane. Ta-da! You are now in UK

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

8. No border checks, no machine guns, no "papers please". Just open. This is no longer acceptable to the mandate we have just been handed.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

9. A border is bad for practical reasons; people like my sister live in Donegal and work in Derry, and thousands more vice versa...

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

O'Reilly explained that the psychological effects on a country which is still living with the legacy of The Troubles would also be serious...

10. MUCH MORE IMPORTANT are the psychological effects. Lot of Good
Friday Agreement predicated on free movement between north and south.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

11. This and cross-border bodies were just enough to comfort nationalists but not close enough to a united Ireland to antagonise unionists.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

12. Actually, an awful lot of the framework of the GFA was underpinned by existing EU laws anyway, so it may now be entirely undone.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

13. But more importantly, making people undergo any form of border checkpoint between the two countries will not just be an arse ache..

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

14... will massively inhibit the sense of security half of NI population takes from it and ROI being part of a wider European state. HUGE.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

He said that for him, the memories of a time of unrest in Northern Ireland were still vivid...

15. I want to stress that this not a new concept for us. I'm 30, so I
remember checkpoints as a kid. I remember machine guns and dogs.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

16. My dad making sure we weren't nervous while he was being asked patronising questions by the armed men inspecting his driving license...

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

17. ..and checking under our car forexplosives. This used to be EVERY FUCKING DAY.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

18. This won't be some new, weird thing - this will be a direct, unbidden
return to something we worked very, very hard to get away from.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

19. Something that we were promised was over. That we finally thought we HAD gotten away from.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

20. A notion of peace that thousands of very stubborn and dangerous people finally struck a peace for. Put down arms and moved on from.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

21. A long process of peace, to which we must presume thousands of people now alive in NI and mainland UK, **literally owe their lives**.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

22. And now we see violence could sleepwalk back in as a SIDE EFFECT of Brexit. One that no one ever mentioned in any debate I watched.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

23.The Troubles, back as A SIDE EFFECT of a tussle for the leadership of the Conservatives, a party NI citizens don't even fucking vote for.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

O'Reilly explained that the idea of being physically cut off from the Republic of Ireland was distressing for many people...

24. REMEMBER: Irish-Identifying NI citizens (I don't like saying 'Catholics') risk now being physically cut off from Eire. That is DRAMATIC.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

25. Vast majority are not hardened, violent. Same was true in 60s-80s. It takes an angry minority, w a "legitimate" grievance to recruit.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

26. The recklessness of not appreciating this powder keg AS EVEN A FUCKING TALKING POINT IN THE DEBATES disgusts me.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

27. I identify as Irish (and have Irish passport) but am happy for NI to remain part of UK if majority say so; and we have peace, stability.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

28. Same is true of LARGE percentage of Irish-Identifying NI people. But free travel to Eire is part of that peace, part of that stability.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

29. As is the HUGE amount of cash the EU gave us in peace dividends. (€3.5bn from EU in last round of budgeting).

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

30. But at least English people (and Welsh too - wtf lads???) can strike a blow against bendy bananas.

[SLOW HAND CLAP, SOBBING]

END.

— Shocko (@shockproofbeats) June 27, 2016

He went on to clarify that people in Northern Ireland are in fact able to vote for the Conservatives but that they were deeply unpopular.

His initial tweet, linking to the rest of his explanation, has attracted a huge amount of attention, being retweeted and liked more than 2,000 times.

Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain retweeted it, commenting:

This thread is excellent on the serious and overlooked implications of Brexit in Northern Ireland. Please read https://t.co/LG7xCXd12j

— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) June 28, 2016

There was almost more discussion of Gibraltar last week than there was of Northern Ireland..

— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) June 28, 2016

O'Reilly's comments come as Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson laid into the prospect of Brexit while speaking at the European Parliament.

She said if English votes "drag us out of the EU that would be like Britannia waves the rules", according to ITV.

She said: "We accept, we respect and we will defend the wishes of the people of the north of Ireland.

"However if English votes drag us out of the EU, that would be like Britannia waves the rules.

"There was a democratic vote, we voted to remain. I tell you, that the last thing the people of Ireland need is an EU border with 27 member states stopped right in the middle of it."

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