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submitted 2 weeks ago by Naive@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

I heard that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales leaders are planning to meet to break up UK. Is it really true? Anyone from UK here who can tell me what is actually happening there?

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[-] jobbies@lemmy.zip 71 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It started with this article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/09/13/irish-scots-and-welsh-leaders-meet-to-plot-break-up-uk/

Basically right now an independence referendum in Scotland can only be authorised by the Westminster (London) government. Whether Scotland wants one or not, thats how it is.

For the first time there are independence-supporting administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first ministers of those countries will meet on Monday and agree a path forward, ultimately to make it harder for Westminster to say 'no' to future referendums.

This doesn't 'kick start the break up of the UK' - all it does is put pressure on Westminster not to block independence referendums when there's an appetite for them. The Prime Minister and his government can choose to ignore that. Nothing is changing.

The Telegraph and other right-leaning nonsense rags have latched onto this, exaggerating it because its red meat for their target audience. I think that's where the 'Russian interference' is, but I'm not a unionist and one of them might explain it better.

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[-] FluidBeef@quokk.au 48 points 2 weeks ago

It’s true. My uncle is the Prime Minister of Wales and he was in meetings with Billy Connolly, David Beckham and Liam Neeson all weekend.

[-] StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Well my uncle works for Nintendo and put the Metroid Justin Bailey cheat code in for me, his favorite nephew, Justin Bailey.

[-] Stern@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

my uncle is john nintendo and told me if you get all the stars in the new mario game you unock pikachu

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[-] yesman@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago

I support the removal of Northern Ireland from the UK so that it can be reunited into the Irish Republic.

[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

did you ask northern Ireland first?

[-] yesman@lemmy.world 46 points 2 weeks ago

Did England fucking ask Northern Ireland first?

[-] trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago

Does that matter? It's about time someone starts asking them.

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[-] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 6 points 2 weeks ago

"England"

Jaysus lad learn your history.

[-] StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Probably a Yank. They've never been too keen on history or geography... or maths... or any education, really.

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[-] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 6 points 2 weeks ago
[-] yesman@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

The truth is that the British practiced colonizing Ireland before they took their show global. They even partitioned the Island. The British get horny for partitioning stuff. They partitioned India and Palestine too.

British Patriotism requires amnesia. God damn the King.

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[-] slazer2au@lemmy.world 25 points 2 weeks ago

not for a while. There are always calls for independence from groups there but Scotland had a vote to stayor leave a while back and they wanted to stay.

[-] yesman@lemmy.world 36 points 2 weeks ago

Something they came to regret after brexit. I doubt the vote would be the same today.

[-] slazer2au@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

I haven't looked at it recently but it was a close vote, like withing a couple percentage points.
I doubt any of the current parties have the political capital to run the vote again in the near future.

[-] zout@fedia.io 16 points 2 weeks ago

The Scottish wanted to do a new vote after the Brexit was voted in, but that was quickly shut down by the UK government.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)
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[-] Clbull@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

As things currently stand, Andy Burnham will just flat-out reject their demands. The only way I can see him agreeing to another referendum is if the next general election leads to a hung parliament with Labour as the biggest party.

A better question would be if such a referendum would succeed.

Scotland: probably not. But then again, one of the biggest reasons the Scottish people voted to remain twelve years ago was due to them losing their EU membership by going independent. They could apply to join the EU, but it's very possible that Spain could veto their accession on the basis that they don't want to give legitimacy to the Catalan independence movement. Brexit is a game-changer that could make Indyref2 succeed. And Hungary under Viktor Orban could have rejected it because he was a useful idiot to Russia. What doesn't help Scotland's case for independence is that the SNP nosedived in popularity since Nicola Sturgeon resigned.

Wales: definitely not. Support for Welsh independence is actually pretty damn low. Plaid Cymru winning big in the Senedd moreso represents how badly Labour fucked up under Keir Starmer. Welsh voters tactically voted them in to prevent a Reform UK majority.

Northern Ireland: maybe. The gap has narrowed since Brexit, and there is a particular clause in the Good Friday Agreement where the Secretary of State must agree to hold a referendum to unite Ireland if it appears likely that such a vote would succeed. I think the reason why this hasn't happened is because our deal with the EU has largely shielded Northern Ireland from the negative consequences of Brexit via a backstop.

[-] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 4 points 2 weeks ago

Northern Ireland is likely a major reason why Brexit hasn't been finalized yet. There is really no good solution to the trilemma.

Part of me was wondering if the Tories were going to let an Irish reunification vote happen while they were in power as a way to tie up the last issues with Brexit.

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[-] cynar@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago

A lot of it is a storm in a bottle. There are periodic discussions about it. It tends to be when the central government (based in London) gets to South East England centric.

Right now the numbers wanting independence are higher than usual, but not into the realms of breaking away imminently. However, it's also worth noting that a lot of England is also pissed off with parliament for various reasons. We seem to have a similar capture issue to America (excessive willingness to please big business/money over the people from both sides).

Basically it's a shot across the bows to the UK parliament to do their fucking jobs, not just line their own pockets.

No. Not true. There are very vocal groups that are calling referendums and voting on things that are not even part of the scope of elections to divide the union.

All this noise could be a Rusia operation to reduce the influence that together production and labor markets can yield much more than independently. Doing that without being part of a common market like the EU is simply not happening, no one will win anything if it comes to happen, just Rusia and other hostile countries.

[-] tal@lemmy.today 6 points 2 weeks ago

Russia might amplify it, but I saw a Telegraph article submitted here with a dire headline along those lines, which I imagine was aimed at getting Conservatives riled up.

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[-] goodguys9@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago

I don't quite understand, Scotland and Wales already aren't part of the common market. By seceding from the UK, they might actually have an easier time joining the common market and strengthening the EU, which is the real unified power block.

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[-] Seimhe@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Ignore the comments here saying that this is Russian interference or that it came “out of nowhere”.

Ireland has always wanted independence and has wanted to reunite since partition happened. The people in Ireland who identified as British opposed that and had the entire British state/terror services at their disposal. That has changed a lot and now even British settlers here are talking publicly and seriously about the potential (pros and cons) of reunification.

The vast majority of Britons are ignorant and diseducated on this matter so be careful which comments you trust.

It was never meant to last forever but the tide has been turning for some time now.

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[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Russian money is happening there.

[-] theneverfox@pawb.social 7 points 2 weeks ago

No, this is out of nowhere and it's basically just a formal request to the prime minister

If it goes anywhere, it'll take some time

[-] davidagain@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

They're planning to meet up to persuade the new prime minister (who is pro devolution generally) to do it in such a way as to allow the national assemblies to have more power, but it being a secret plot to break up the UK is a bit of rightwing hysteria and a massive over exaggeration.

It’s not breaking but it’s certainly broken

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[-] twinnie@feddit.uk 4 points 2 weeks ago

Frankly I think the UK would like it if NI rejoined Ireland, it’d probably make things a lot simpler for everyone. There was a vote in the 70s and it was like 99% remain in the UK. The UK government has said that they’ll do a vote if it ever looked like the majority might want to rejoin but it’s not there right now. I know a few people from there and they agree with that.

I understand that a party that wants to reunify got voted into power there for the first time ever but I don’t think it was on any promise to reunify if you know what I mean, but I think things are slowly heading in that direction.

If the people of NI actually wanted to reunify I don’t know anyone in England who would have a problem with it, but the government won’t hand over any land if the majority of the people there want to remain part of the UK. Trump is just making his comments because he’s pissed that the UK wouldn’t help with the Epstein Wars.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 4 points 2 weeks ago

Northern Ireland always saying something along those lines no one listens to them. The Welsh leader is new and is just mouthing off because it will make some headlines for him, SNP get the Scottish riled up, I don't know how much the average Scott really wants to leave the Union if anyone had a point they would but I tend to think that it's just the loud minority.

Although personally I think we would all be better off if we just move the capital to literally anywhere other than London.

[-] moopet@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

I think if there was another Scottish referendum now, Scotland would leave the UK. It was close last time, but brexit really fucked everything up and the UK's general behaviour ever since hasn't been exactly reassuring. I think the majority of Scots would rejoin the EU.

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this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2026
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