Countries most likely to unite/split in our lifetime

[CerberusIV]

United Kingdom splitting up? I doubt it.

N Ireland joining the Republic - possible but it will take a long time for old fears and hatreds to die down. The present peace deal will probably stick but why should the Republic saddle themselves with the North and all those awkward "loyalists" (just what are they loyal to anyway?).

Wales - no chance. After several hundred years of being shafted by the English they are too used to it. The Welsh Assembly is struggling to appear to do anything meaningful. The population consists of lunatics in N Wales who want all the money spent on promoting a language no-one else can be bothered to speak and everywhere else ex-pat English who want to live in a "rural idyll" but don't want the real Welsh allowed anywhere near any power.

Scotland - maybe but not very likely. If the EU continues to centralise national power they will benefit from relatively stronger power as a region. The oil isn't going to last much longer and when that's gone they will be relying on either Westminster or Brussels to pay for most things anyway.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by notyoueither
I'm surprised no one thinks Canada will split. True, demographics may be favouring Quebec staying (I think) but a really charismatic pied piper could come along.

I'm watching that myself.

I personally think that there are others more likely, however.

10 years ago was a different story...

[TheStinger]

The Jocks are quite happy with the current arrangement I think, its more the English who may get pissed off. Foundation hospitals was only passed because of Scottish labour MP's voting for it. English Mp's are allowed no such vote on Scottish health matters.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by donegeal
I agree with NYE on the Quebec deal. Maybe not this year, but I think it will probably happen

a) Reread what he wrote. He doesn't actually think it will happen. He's just surprised nobody had mentioned it.

b) The two referenda were 15 years apart, and the second one was 8.5 years ago

c) With a large Liberal majority government elected 6 months ago, no: it will not happen this year nor any time within the next 4 years, given that the government has to decide to put issues on a referendum...

[CharlesBHoff]

India will spilt up into smaller States. The current India government is currently fighting seperate moverment in over half of it States and the other half of it state resent New Delt missrule very enought.

[Kropotkin]

Somalia: The country lacks a government since over ten years. There's one region, Somaliland, that has broken of as a independent republic and another region, Puntland, that's self-governing even if it, af far as I know, doesn't aim for independence.

Former Soviet union: There's a bunch of different possibilities for spits and unifications here. Take the situation in caucasus for example. Georgia has two areas that's not in line with the central govt, abkhazia and South Osstesia. There's the situation between Armenia and Azerbadjan over the Nagorno-Karabash, and then there's the russian regions like cheshnia and others where some people aim for independence.

[rendelnep]

the biggest city north ways and well the bottom of the South Island is all 1 shield towns.

With that sort of talk add NZ to list ( bloody north islanders think they own the whole country, Hope they remember where most their electricty comes from....)

[Agathon]

Finland. Any country that sanctions public urination on other citizens cannot last.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by rendelnep


With that sort of talk add NZ to list ( bloody north islanders think they own the whole country, Hope they remember where most their electricty comes from....)

We also remember where most of our yokels and perverts come from.

[Al'Kimiya]

- The Golan Heights will merge with Israel "Proper".
- Lebanon will split from Syria.
- Iraq will split into Kurdistan and Arabic Mesopotamia.
- EU will become a more developed Western EU with some custom treaties with most other european countries.

[Donegeal]

a) Reread what he wrote. He doesn't actually think it will happen. He's just surprised nobody had mentioned it

Okaaay... I MOSTLY with NYE regarding Quebec.

b) The two referenda were 15 years apart, and the second one was 8.5 years ago

Damn the years fly by quickly. It seems like the last one was just a couple of years ago...

c) With a large Liberal majority government elected 6 months ago, no: it will not happen this year nor any time within the next 4 years, given that the government has to decide to put issues on a referendum...

Hmmmm.... good. I like Canada just the way it is.

[East Street Trader]

The Tamils seem well on their way to acieving an autonomous state.

Turkey's aspiratiuons to join the EU and events in Iraq seem to create conditions more favourable to the emergence of a Kurdistan than have existed before.

Tribalism continues to undermine stability in virtually all African and arab countries.

I wonder if there are any africans or arabs who look at the EU experiment and think that something similar could be attempted in africa and/or in the middle east?

[Starchild]

I hear rumours that the Gulf States want to get a bit more cozier a la the EU, such as a common Gulf currency and stuff.

But rumours are just that.

[CerberusIV]

The one european country where a split has seemed possible in the past but no-one has mentioned is Italy. Does the Lombard League have any influence these days? Is the north still interested in cutting the south adrift?

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Originally posted by Tripledoc
I have never understood why the capital is placed on the Eastern Seaboard. It should be in the middle. Or there should be four.

It was in the middle, it just got larger. Why would we want four capitals? We are one nation, unlike the EU. Yes, our individual states are larger than most other individual nations but we are one United Nation.

We have enough bureucracy with one capital, with four everyone would be employed by the government.

And here's hoping Quebec does go independent. I don't think they're that stupid though. America's been rooting for that since it first came up. Woo Hoo! We have a French speaking target ON OUR BORDER! We can invade, burn, and pillage without have to ship our troops across an ocean!