Derry & Strabane research reveals strong support for Irish unity as best option for future

The research into constitutional change and and its implications for the Council area and the North West was commissioned by Derry City & Strabane District Council, and the results have now been published.

A total of 242 responses were received as part of the public consultation exercise. The engagement process was carried out over a four-month period in 2023 and the results of the findings have been collated and independently analysed by Professor Mark Slevin of Ulster University.

The outcome of the analysis highlighted that while there is a wide range of perspectives on constitutional change, the majority of views expressed in the survey were positive.

Professor Slevin in his report said: “While most participants supported reunification as a means to promote equality, economic growth, and governance reform, other expressed concerns about economic stability, identity preservation and political instability.”

Professor Slevin said the findings emphasised the need for careful planning, inclusive dialogue and a transparent process such as a Citizens’ Assembly, to accurately address the aspirations and fears of everyone.

He said participants in the engagement exercise stressed the need for lessons to be learned from the Brexit process and for all voices and views to be heard, adding that participants were of the view that “to create a fair and stable transition process, detailed planning, economic analysis and social inclusion needed to be prioritised.”

The five themes identified in the analysis was – Support for Irish Unity; Economic and Infrastructural Development; Governance and Political Reform; Social Justice and Historical Grievances and Concerns and Opposition to Change.

Under the first theme of Support for Irish Unity many participants expressed support for Irish unity, referencing potential economic, social and cultural benefits with many viewing it as an opportunity to address inequalities that some have seen to be caused by partition. Some participants viewed it as an opportunity to restore Ireland’s position within the European union and to create new and effective governance structures, with some saying it was a pathway towards fairness, equality and sovereignty, whilst highlighting the need for inclusivity and democratic planning to ensure a successful transition process.

The second theme of Economic and Infrastructural Development emerged as a very central theme in the engagement process with many participants arguing that Irish unity would go some way towards addressing economic deficiencies created by partition and the duplication of services and would improve current infrastructure and transport, attract international investment and streamline governance.

Many of the participants in the engagement process expressed their dissatisfaction with the political structure under Stormont and Westminster and were of the view that a united Ireland would provide better governance, accountability and policy-making under the third theme of Governance and Political Reform, while under the Social Justice and Historical Grievances theme, the need for social justice and for historical grievances to be acknowledged, was highlighted. Many respondents cited systematic inequalities in education, access to employment and healthcare, as well as a legacy of discrimination as issues that could be addressed as part of Constitutional Change.

Under the theme of Concerns and Opposition to Change a few respondents expressed concerns about the impact on economic stability, identity preservation and political instability. Unionist perspectives were a recurring theme with some participants opposing change outright while others highlighting the need for inclusive planning and dialogue to address fears and opposition to any constitutional change.

Professor Slevin in his conclusion of the analysis report cautioned on the limitations of the engagement exercise saying that the sampling of those taking part was opportunistic and self-selecting and for that reason the views expressed could not be generalised to the wider population.

He said: “The nature of the issued being explored may have impacted on who chose to engage with the survey, and how they answered. The study was qualitative in nature, and this means that themes can be identified but their overall significance and importance cannot be assessed.”

Following to the findings, Sinn Féin Councillor Conor Heaney urged the public to engage with the next phase of the Council’s ‘ground breaking’ work on assessing the benefits of Irish reunification.

Colr. Heaney said: “The consultation exercise on Irish reunification carried out in 2023 was a groundbreaking piece of work by Derry City and Strabane District Council as the first local authority to formally explore this issue.

“That was important because conversations on Irish Unity are already happening in homes and workplaces across Ireland so political institutions need to show leadership and explore the very real opportunities that now exist to transform this island for the better.

“I very much welcome the publication of the independent analysis which is now available on the council website and which clearly shows that respondents were focused on the huge economic, social and political benefits that Irish reunification will bring.

“The next phase of this work will be to take the consultation out into the community and more details on how to engage in that will be available soon.

“I would urge people to get involved in the community consultations and to have their say in the conversation around a New Ireland and the transformative positive impact it will have.”

It was agreed at the March meeting of Full Council that the results of the Engagement would be made public for the public to access via the website at – https://www.derrystrabane.com/Constitutional-Change

It was also agreed at the meeting that representative organisations would be invited to attend further meetings of the Unity Working Group, which was set up for elected members to discuss this issue, and that a third tranche of engagement with the community would be considered, subject to a further report with details and costings.