Dr. Stephen Farry:

I will make a few observations to which Professor Harvey and Mr. Bassett are happy to respond. I stress again that I come at this issue as a non-nationalist but someone who is open to debates. I am engaging in discussions on a speculative basis and without prejudice to whatever view we may or may not take down the line as events and developments unfold.

I caution very strongly against setting artificial timeframes for when a border poll may or may not occur. The Good Friday Agreement is clear that this is a condition-led rather than date-led process. We are not at that stage yet but I fully accept that this is a fluid situation and that this may become apparent over the coming years. That could happen quickly or it could be further off in the distance. Again, we need to be open-minded in that respect.

There are two parallel discussions. They are interrelated but perhaps they need to move at slightly different paces. I respect that Professor Harvey is frustrated that there is not yet sufficient clarity on the precise thresholds for decision-making around invoking a border poll. I make very clear that I fully accept the rules that were set out in the Good Friday Agreement. I also recognise that they leave some further questions unanswered so I respect that there is a desire to get fuller clarification in that respect.

At this stage, I would place far more emphasis on discussing what a potential united Ireland would look like. From my discussions with people in Northern Ireland, that is probably the more relevant and active debate at this stage rather than the mechanics of it. That is probably where the most focus needs to be placed in the immediate future.

There are three different elements that one would, in theory, walk through in trying to advance that debate. The first is about what loose or fragmented discussions are currently happening. I appreciate that some are frustrated they are not moving on to more structured discussions more quickly, but I do not necessarily share that frustration. This debate is still fairly embryonic, and the "Claire Byrne Live" programme from last night reinforces that point.

Much more can be done to try to crystalise the arguments and engage with a broader range of voices. Rather than simply having circular discussions, there is a challenge for civic society organisations, and our universities and colleges in particular, to convene more forums to work through some of those issues and talk about some of the grander details, not just on identity issues but matters of public finances, for example, and what would happen with health policy and provision.

I can also see merit in holding some form of civic forum or citizens' assembly in due course, but I do not think we are at that point just yet. There is a question as to who would convene and organise any citizens' assembly and how that assembly would be representative. More work needs to be done before we are at the point of a citizens' assembly being convened. There is a bigger question because if a question were ever to be put in a referendum, governments would need to be involved in that process. Those three phases can obviously overlap with one another but they start at different points. I do not think we are at the second or third points just yet but I acknowledge that, in terms of a logical process, they would be steps in that wider journey.

It is important to take into account the magnitude of what is being discussed here. A territory changing from one sovereign state to another is pretty much unprecedented in modern times or even in the past century. The German reunification is not a like-for-like comparison, given the particular context there. The enormity of this is important to bear in mind and it is something to work through in a stage-by-stage process.

I have made this point previously but I will stress it again. Notwithstanding the wider constitutional and political debates around this matter, there is still significant space for practical North-South co-operation to be taken forward on a range of economic, social, environmental and infrastructure issues. That may be a precursor to something else or it might just stand on its own two feet, but that is something I would encourage a lot of focus to be placed on in the near term as well. I am happy for either Professor Harvey or Mr. Bassett to respond to those reflections.