It’s been hard to avoid talking about United Ireland in recent weeks.
From columns to opinion polls to the UK’s Directive Papers, the debate over whether Ireland is on track to vote on its constitutional future is in full swing.
However, what is missing to some extent is nuance. Border polls are not as clear-cut along ideological lines as some believe. This is not a case of Catholics voting to unite Ireland and Protestants voting to remain in the UK. Northern Ireland’s views on identity are changing and, increasingly, opportunity is what matters most to voters.
Although there is now some emphasis on stubborn “yes” and “no” positions, there are a surprising number of people whose backgrounds are such that it is impossible to predict whether they will agree or disagree with a poll. I recently spoke to a number of people from different communities and asked them for their views on a united Ireland.
Fiona Smith is from Bangor, and the 53-year-old grew up in a unionist environment. “We used to go to the bonfires every 12 days and I remember the Lambeg drums being the most thrilling and exciting thing I had ever heard… At that time I thought of myself. I would have called you British.”
However, Smith now considers himself to be “Irish, Northern Irish” and went to university in England, where he had a very different reaction to his Britishness.
“I couldn’t have come across a more diametrically opposed view of Britain than the Britishness I grew up with,” Smith said. Go away.”
She was drawn to her Irish identity through the world of literature, and discovered poetry as a doorway to a history and culture that she felt had been “robbed” from her Protestant community.
She now aligns her identity with Ireland’s “progressive values” and is “not afraid of a united Ireland”.
Smith is not alone in feeling the appeal of progressive values. Tim McCullough, a retired naval officer who works with refugees, said that when he tried to rescue the family of an Afghan interpreter after the Taliban took over in 2021, it was the Irish government that ultimately intervened, and the British government. I just kept getting in the way…I realized that Britain was on its way.” With this far-right street at the moment, I can never ban it. ”
“I would probably vote for it.”
Mr McCullough has managed to bring his family to Ireland and says he will “probably vote for a united Ireland”. He says he comes from a “very Protestant background, his father was in the Orange Order”. McCullough has spent his entire life in the British Army and now considers himself to be “Northern Irish, European”.
On the merits of United Ireland, he said: “I want to be part of Europe. You’ve already sold me 40 per cent on the basis that I want to be European.” he added. “Do what’s best for the children and what’s best for the family.”
Opinion polls show that support for a united Ireland does not currently have majority support in Northern Ireland, but support is growing, with polls by Northern Ireland Life and Times showing that support for a united Ireland has increased since 2015. has been recorded to have doubled.
The need to vote
An important factor here is the context in which people respond to the poll. There is no plan, no details, no vision of what a United Ireland will look like. When people are asked to consider whether they would vote in favor of a united Ireland if an election were held today, they are making a decision based on very limited information.
The failure of pro-union parties to develop a plan and the Irish government’s reluctance to approach a vote are seen by some as a disservice to residents and the island’s future. I have an appetite. The desire to have this conversation and weigh your options is undeniable.
Mark McKennie, a 48-year-old IT specialist, said: “I’m a bit frustrated with the Irish government for not coming up with a more concrete plan to avoid the mistakes of Brexit, which is a very open-ended question.” talk. Until his 20s, McKennie would have considered himself “very British and a loyalist.”
Having lived in both England and Dublin, he now describes himself as “Irish” and would vote for Irish union. United Ireland because I look at it purely from an economic-cultural perspective. ” He added: “If we are to fulfill our potential in the north of Ireland, I think the only way forward is unity. We will unite all our people as one nation,” he added. Dear people of the North, I am in favor of unification. ”
In conducting these interviews, it became clear that there is a huge opportunity in front of us, if only we have the political leadership and the courage to seize it. Amendments to the Constitution give each of us an opportunity to reconsider what kind of society we want to live in.
Ireland is plagued by institutional deficiencies in both the north and south. Whether it’s governance and health care in Northern Ireland or housing and climate in the Republic of Ireland, constitutional reform would fundamentally disrupt the status quo and require significant changes to how Ireland is run. That would be the answer.
Such an opportunity would, of course, appeal to a wider audience than just traditional nationalists. Identity is not rigid, religion does not define politics, and there are no homogeneous communities. The focus of this debate is the economy, opportunities and a return to the European Union.
Emma D’Souza is a writer and campaigner.
