Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 30 March 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

Working Group on Unification Referendums: Discussion

Dr. Etain Tannam:

I thank Dr. Renwick. That is a very good point. It relates to the question about a citizens' assembly. We have seen even moderate unionists, as the Chairman said, having very intense preferences.

It is where British-Irish co-operation has been essential in framing decisions and incentivising having a strategy. That kind of coherence has been missing for various reasons, including the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference meeting. I know that it is not popular with unionists. We do stress the necessity of that co-operation in creating more engagement, a kind of strategic approach and security umbrella. We are very aware of the issue. My personal research would be very much on the need for the British-Irish strength of that relationship to encourage unionist engagement.

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