I realize this question has been done to death but I'm still questioning it.
The following sentence I feel does not contain a comma splice as the clause doesn't seem to hold up on its own:
Most European countries have proceeded with significant liberalization of financial law since the 1980s, Ireland being the latest example.
However, when I write it slightly differently, I'm pretty positive it is a comma splice.
Most European countries have proceeded with significant liberalization of financial law since the 1980s, Ireland is no exception.
Is this correct? And if so, why? Why does the continuous form make it not a comma splice. If it is indeed a comma splice, how would you punctuate it to capture the informal style of the author. An em dash, a semi-colon, a full-stop or and?
Thanks for the help.