The proposed bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland would cost around $20 billion and has been supported by the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party), which is thought will help economic growth and bring the country together according to Boris Johnson.
The Daily Express reported that this idea of bridging the Irish sea was first proposed by the Scottish architect and Professor Alan Dunlop. He gained notoriety for his proposal after Johnson had stated a bridge should be built across the English Channel.
In order to bolster trade and emphasize national cohesiveness, Johnson feels the bridge should be considered seriously by politicians in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the future success of the UK.
Please see my piece for @reactionlife - let's build a bridge between Scotland and Ireland. This idea is quietly being discussed. One for @RuthDavidsonMSP ? https://t.co/Vw6uqtmN9W
— George Trefgarne (@GeorgeTrefgarne) June 11, 2018
One journalist for The Telegraph, George Trefgarne, argued that an Irish sea link would, “kick-start economic growth, enthuse the DUP, support the Union, bring the country together and create a stability to Brexit which not even the EU could knock-off balance.”
The bridge would supposedly take the shortest possible route, which would be the 14-mile span from Portpatrick in Scotland to either Larne or Bangor in the north of Ireland.
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In 2015, the DUP had formally included a commitment to a bridge being built between the two islands in its party manifesto that year but did not include it in 2016. The Brexit minister for Scotland, Mike Russell, has also recently advocated for the proposal and the Scottish government is currently having a look into the project, as per Trefgarne.
High Priest of #Brexit or Chief bridge-builder? First over the Thames, then the English Channel and now the Irish Sea - our very own Pontifex Maximus is promising bridges for everyone...https://t.co/1T3KiYyfTR
— Theresa Griffin MEP (@TheresaMEP) June 12, 2018
The lack of government progress and commitment on this matter could be explained as a result of the astronomical price tag, but could very well have to do with the history between the two islands and the psychological unwillingness on both sides to connect. One will just have to wait and see if this ambitious plan goes anywhere.
Would you like to see a bridge over the Irish sea?
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