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Brian O'Leary via RollingNews.ie

Majority of Remainers and Leavers willing to see NI leave Union for preferred Brexit outcome

Four in 10 Britons said they cared little or not at all about the region, according to new YouGov research.

A MAJORITY OF Remainers and Leavers would be prepared to see Northern Ireland leave the Union in order to achieve their preferred Brexit outcome, a survey has found.

Around four in 10 Britons said they cared little or not at all about the region.

Unionists in Belfast are opposed to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposed Brexit deal which they believe would create a regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

It would involve the region following some of the rules of the EU’s single market to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland but including a new regime for goods crossing the Irish Sea.

Research carried out by the YouGov polling organisation suggested:

  • Four in 10 Britons would not be concerned if Northern Ireland leaves the UK
  • 41% said they cared little or not at all about Northern Ireland
  • A majority would rather have their preferred Brexit outcome than see Northern Ireland stay in the Union; which was true for both Remainers and Leavers
  • Even those who care a “great deal” about Northern Ireland, and want it to stay in the UK, would choose their Brexit preference over the Union remaining intact

A total of 1,641 adults on mainland Britain were asked about the issue between 23 and 24 October.

The organisation said: “New YouGov polling today exposes the weaknesses in the link between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

“YouGov asked mainland Britons how much they care about Northern Ireland, how they’d feel if it left the Union and whether getting their own way on Brexit was more important than keeping the UK together.”

It said its results showed that 41% say they “would not be bothered” if Northern Ireland left the UK.

A further 41% said they would be “upset” if it broke away, while only a minority of 9% would be “actively pleased to see them go”.

The referendum divide does not make a difference, with 58% of Remain voters and 64% of Leave voters saying they’d rather have their own way on Brexit than see the Union preserved.

YouGov added: “As with so much, however, Brexit takes precedent.

“Given the choice between having their preferred outcome on Brexit and Northern Ireland staying in the Union, a majority of 58% chose the former and only 18% the latter.”

The Irish border has been one of the key sticking points in the Brexit negotiations.

The polling organisation added: “Even those Britons who say they want Northern Ireland to stay part of the UK tend to be willing to sacrifice it for the sake of Brexit.

“Almost half (47%) chose their preferred Brexit option, compared to 35% who chose the Union.”

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    Mute Rob Hunt
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    Apr 25th 2025, 6:08 AM

    Nobody thought it was. It contributes, sure, but it’s the bulk commercialisation of rental properties and buy-to-let incentives that are the bigger issue. Plenty of apartment blocks with a single owner (vulture fund or investment) and run by management companies driving rent prices up.

    Living spaces shouldn’t be a profitable venture.

    126
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    Mute George Bowling
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:36 AM

    @Rob Hunt: why shouldn’t living spaces be a profitable venture? Should people and companies risk their capital just for the potential reward of head pats from economically illiterate socialists? Or is the aim to have the state provide all “living spaces” at a loss to taxpayers so we can live in a country as well designed and thought out as Darndale?

    Of course it should be and must be a profitable venture. As a general rule of thumb, if your opinions wouldn’t be out of place on a placard at a PBP protest then you probably need to read more.

    31
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    Mute The next small thing
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    Apr 25th 2025, 1:09 PM

    @Rob Hunt: you’ll be delighted to hear that these investment funds aren’t investing in property development any more. So with the reduction in supply and the ever increasing demand I’m sure we’ll see lower rents very soon. Well according to your logic anyways.

    7
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    Mute Paul
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    Apr 25th 2025, 6:27 AM

    Lefties don’t realise that years of demonising landlords will reduce supply.

    106
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    Mute John Darker
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    Apr 25th 2025, 6:35 AM

    @Paul: why ?, do the landlords take the house with them when they pack up ?

    46
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    Mute Anthony Curran
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    Apr 25th 2025, 6:58 AM

    @Paul: I’m a “leftie” and a landlord. Am I demonising myself?

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    Mute Mick Duvanny
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:10 AM

    @John Darker: Future potential landlords put their money into something else and less properties get built

    27
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    Mute John Darker
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:22 AM

    @Mick Duvanny: yeah, I’m sure the big companies with hundreds of houses and apartments care and are really upset about what a couple of Lefty’s think of them, just as well they have bundles and bundles of cash they’re fleecing from desperate people to soothe their hurt feelings.
    There will never be a shortage of gougers hoping to fleece the ordinary joe, they couldn’t care less what anyone thinks of them,
    Just like the banks

    24
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    Mute Jay
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:21 AM

    @John Darker: What exactly do landlords supply ? Unless they actually build houses instead of hoovering up and sweating assets you are talking ****

    12
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    Mute David Plant
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:31 AM

    @John Darker: you do realize this is EXACTLY what has happened and most property investors won’t invest/build here now and has made the problem worse

    9
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    Mute David Plant
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:32 AM

    @Jay: the €€€ to build houses

    5
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    Mute Fishlord “Fishlord_Username” Username
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    Apr 25th 2025, 11:19 AM

    @David Plant: source?

    3
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    Mute Finn Barr
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:40 AM

    ‘An in-depth investigation by the Irish Times, led by reporter Isabela Boechat, has laid bare the mechanics of this scam. The investigation revealed how foreign students from outside the EU, with a significant number from Brazil, are resorting to forged documents to secure study visas. These documents include fake enrolment letters, medical insurance, and attendance certificates, which are essential for the visa application process. The scammers, operating through social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, charge between €600 and €1,800 for these fraudulent services. The students involved in this scam typically do not attend the schools they are supposedly enrolled in, hence the term ‘ghost students’

    82
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    Mute Finn Barr
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:41 AM

    How many of these scammers are in Ireland taking up housing?
    This foreign student scam needs to be stopped and all these illegal chancers deported.

    70
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    Mute Finn Barr
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:52 AM

    Something for ‘Journal Investigates’ perhaps??

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    Mute Len Casey
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:18 AM

    @Finn Barr: Not a hope of that.

    24
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    Mute Paula Whyte
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:57 AM

    As a single property landlord we rented to the council for below market rent for ten years. Got the property back with 58k worth of damage and never made a profit in the ten years. I am leaving it vacant rather than go through that again.

    40
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    Mute RP McGuinness
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:39 AM

    Close the English Language Schools that are fronts for student Visa scams. All of them. Cancel the visas and send them packing.

    38
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    Mute Fishlord “Fishlord_Username” Username
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    Apr 25th 2025, 11:22 AM

    @RP McGuinness: you are jumping on the first explanation that sounds good and doesn’t require understanding nor blaming the actual economic system that has caused this situation and instead it alienates you from people who could be your allies and are the most vulnerable, and potentially could help our economy and actually fixing the dang issue.

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    Mute miss lojo
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:58 AM

    Can someone please talk about how the Fair Deal scheme is forcing sales and overriding and making families homeless, removing generations from communities and with nothing left to help buy another house.

    18
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    Mute DB b
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:10 AM

    Over regulation and constant populist knee jerk change to regulation has made investment in property in Ireland impossible, these ‘vulture funds’ are pension funds which a most of the population are invested in in some small way, we actually need their money to build housing , the government doest have the financial firepower to solve the problem, without certainty the market will not attract investment because there’s no certainty surrounding rates of return, rent increases have to be at minimum linked to the rate of inflation, with that kind of certainty rents would rise somewhat faster but would fall in the medium turn as supply ramps up, ultimately government and opposition have destroyed the free market in relation to housing with populist changes, it can’t reach it’s equilibrium

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    Mute John Purcell
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:32 PM

    @DB b: 100% correct

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    Mute Wendy Arbour aka Luas Vuitton - Dub Drag Queen
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    Apr 25th 2025, 8:52 AM

    This is complete nonsense for Dublin anyway. Airbnb listings are a joke. Tax evasion, short term letting, non-declaration is rife. The methodology is assways. Typical Govt / State agency manipulation of data whenever legislation is mooted. Superglue lockboxes, shut Airbnb, and and those foreign employees home. Ley tourists pay for proper hotels and tax them. Nothing to do with asylum seekers.

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    Mute jn
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:51 AM

    how about ringing your local TD or county coucil office and ask the hard questions about local issues of concern ,in tipp the phone lines always engaged!!

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    Mute Fishlord “Fishlord_Username” Username
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    Apr 25th 2025, 11:20 AM

    @jn: you know what yes. I think everyone needs to be more involved in their politics.

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    Mute John Purcell
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    Apr 25th 2025, 9:34 PM

    It’s a simple maths issue. The Irish state doesn’t have the money to fund all the houses required each yr, it needs private equity to build them.

    The issue is a lot of ppl don’t want private equity involved and want the government to build them. They cant and don’t have the funding.

    Also these private equity and pension funds are funding and building the apts / houses. Without them they don’t get built!!

    7
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    Mute charlie brown
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    Apr 25th 2025, 10:57 AM

    Airbnb is NOT the only short let agency in ireland, plenty others out there but if they included those it would prove short term lets are affecting the shortage of property

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    Mute Fishlord “Fishlord_Username” Username
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    Apr 25th 2025, 11:19 AM

    @charlie brown: airbnb makes up 85% of the market for those kindsa platfroms. I think it makes for a good case study.

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    Mute damien leen
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    Apr 25th 2025, 7:51 AM

    Noooooooooo…Neverrrrrrrrrr!

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