From our Swindon correspondent:
Work is under way “by a range of government officials” to look at the idea of building a Scotland-Northern Ireland bridge, No 10 has said.
OK. Bridge costing £20bn. You’re also going to need a load of extra updates to all the roads up to Scotland and into Northern Ireland for the extra trade, so, with various levels of government mismanagement, let’s call it a round £100bn.
The population of Northern Ireland is 2 million people. Around 51% of them support a united Ireland, so let’s call it 1 million people.
Instead of building a bridge at the cost of £100K/person, why not just move everyone who wants to come to Cumbria and the Scottish borders? Plenty of land up there for building. Similar climate. Grant all the planning permission, build roads and schools. You also solve all those sectrian and pesky cross-border customs problems. No need to keep throwing money at administering Stormont. Would it really cost that much more?
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With any luck, N&S Ireland will vote for union and we can let the EU subsidise them. Now, if we can just get the sweaties off our hands too, I'll forgive Boris for HS2.
Don’t put ideas in their heads. Though now mention it I do recall Big Arlene saying the day they voted for a united Ireland would be the day she sold up and moved over here.
@Tim W
Climate and land is not similar
Bridge is even more stupid and unnecessary than HS2
Mixing Micks and Porridge Wogs? Just think of the arguments over how to spell whisky, I mean whiskey, or is it uisque?
The bulk of the associated infrastructure (upgrading the A75 to motorway, rebuilding the Dumfries-Stranraer railway) will be in Scotland. Which presumably means that as it's public spending in Scotland, the grant from England to the Scottish government can be reduced by the same amount according to the Barnett formula. Worth it just to see Sturgeon & Co exploding in the face, and wouldn't actually cost the English taxpayer that much.
The bridge needed is between Cork and Cherbourg, because the EU trying to play nasty will nicely blockade all Irish trade routes via UK. Then Eire will find itself isolated.
Lots of spare cash in EU to fund it :)
If we are going in for population movements, let's swap our Remainers for the EU sceptics in Europe. Or the right wingers in Europe could trade places with the Democrats. Everyone would be so much happier that way.
Can we spend the money on a girt big saw so we can cut Northern Ireland off and set it adrift in the Atlantic? I can think of two countries and one province where there would be a majority in favour of that.