Professor Christopher McCrudden:

There is another type of unionism that is going to be involved. During the run up to any further discussion about a referendum on unity, someone is going to have to discuss what a unionist offer would be in the referendum. Clearly, there is going to be a nationalist offer at some point of what a united Ireland would look like. Equally, and this is going back to the experience in Scotland that Dr. Renwick knows more about than anyone else on the call, at one point in the Scottish referendum there was a sustained attempt at constructing the unionist offer. I am sure that the same thing will happen in the context of a unity referendum in Ireland. There is certainly the opportunity, therefore, for unionist engagement, as it were, indirectly trying to formulate what a unionist offer would look like. I suspect that that sort of discussion may already be taking place indirectly and among unionism in the rest of the United Kingdom, apart from Ulster unionists. There are different ways to skin a cat.