Even then, nearly 60% of NI external trade is to GB and 14% to the republic. Brexit actually destroys the economic case for breaking the EU up. Had England stayed in the EU, it wouldn’t have mattered to cross border trade because they’d be in the same single market and customs union. With England outside the single market and customs union, staying in the UK makes far more economic sense. I can appreciate the nationalist argument that sovereignty trumps mere economics, but they should at least be honest and say that their case is about that and not about some kind of economic benefit, because it would cause far more economic pain than any worst case brexit scenario. I respect integrity of the nationalist case for fully sovereign Wales, Scotland etc outside the EU on a matter of principle, but the case for “independence” in order to get back into the EU is ludicrous from both an economic and political point of view.
They want sovereignty and independence from Westminster