“WORK as if you live in the early days of a better nation.”
This quote from Alasdair Gray went through my mind last Friday at the Ireland’s Future lunch in Belfast, when once again those who support creating a New Ireland gathered to put forward the case for change.
Something that struck me about the event wasn’t the attendance of those who were converted but those who were not yet sold on the constitutional question. In the room you had business leaders and representatives from parties such as Alliance who, whilst curious, are not yet convinced of the need for a referendum and even if there were one, would not be definite yes voters.
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Engaging with idea of a united Ireland
The fact that this group of people will come and engage tells an important story and provides an even more incredible opportunity. Northern Ireland is a place of minorities, with no major constitutional view in a position of dominance, and the growing “none of the above” is the key to success. The pro-union and pro-unity movements will go nowhere without a consistent charm offensive of this group.
That charm offensive will mean patiently and calmly going through the many concerns about the various aspects of Irish unity they have. These concerns can range from the potential of a return of violence to the practicalities of healthcare.
Yes, for those of us who have defined views, this can be a frustrating process. How can you not be passionate about the future of the country? How can they not see things our way?
But you will go nowhere if you do not park that frustration and turn it into proactive action to persuade others. The reality is thousands of people do not think about the constitutional position of Northern Ireland and do not understand how it impacts their lives.
The challenge for those who want to get a referendum is that they need to be motivated that now is the time to have a vote on this issue, because Northern Ireland staying where it is just is not tenable.
Alliance hold key to united Ireland
Politically the focus is on the rise of Sinn Féin in the Republic as the route to a border poll, but this is misplaced. Whilst it would be foolish to say that the rise of Sinn Féin has no impact, it is the rise of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland that has a greater significance.
The route to a referendum doesn’t go through polls, it goes through Naomi Long. The moment the Alliance Party come to the view that now is the time a referendum needs to be planned for and called, the political game changes overnight.
The shift of this party, and the sizeable bloc of voters that they now command the support of, would see this issue move 10 steps forward.
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That is why engaging with their representatives, activists and supporters is so critical in the years ahead. Having members of that party along to the type of events we saw last Friday is how you progress this issue.
Some of the politicians within unionism have spent years criticising Alliance for their perceived lack of support for the United Kingdom. None of this has halted their rise over the past decade, nor has it hurt their appeal to those who would be pro-union. It is worth pointing out that 80 per cent-plus of the Alliance Party’s support is in the east of Northern Ireland which is where the bulk of unionist support is also concentrated.
Work leading to better nation
Winning over Alliance and their supporters are the keys to the kingdom. The success of the pro-unity parties is important in this equation too, but the seismic shift comes from Alliance making a declarative move on this issue. That takes patience, building goodwill and perseverance.
Alliance are a world away from the positions they held three decades ago on the constitution. The fact that I can even write a column speculating that they would be open to having this discussion tells its own story about how much this debate has moved.
Alliance supporters want to see work that leads to a better nation. That’s the case that New Ireland supporters need to make.
