UCL launches public consultation on the prospect of an Irish unity referendum

A major public consultation to get a wide range of views on the prospect of an Irish border poll has been launched today by a working group established by UCL's Constitution Unit. Citizens and civil society groups from across Northern Ireland are being invited to share their hopes, concerns and thoughts on the format and conduct of any future referendum on the question of Northern Ireland's constitutional status. A referendum on Irish unification is envisaged in certain circumstances by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is obliged to call such a vote if a majority for a united Ireland appears likely. Recent developments may have increased the chances that this condition could be met in the coming years. Yet no detailed public thinking has been done on what form the vote could take. The 'Working Group on Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland', established by UCL's Constitution Unit in partnership with universities in Belfast, Dublin and the United States, is part of a 2-year project funded by British Academy and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust .