Lord Alderdice:

There is truth in what Ms Gildernew says but Brexit does not stand on its own. It also represents a change in the attitudes of people in England, and in the Conservative Party in particular, and the kinds of things that are said and done and so on. I mentioned that people in England are increasingly divorced or separated in relationship terms from Northern Ireland. Many people in Northern Ireland feel increasingly little identification with the current British Government and the kinds of attitudes that are seen there. An openness to looking for other sets of relationships is evident. I agree with Ms Gildernew. The way we finished up in the Good Friday Agreement was that if a border poll was held and people in the North decided they wanted to be part of a united Ireland, there would not be a question of having to apply for membership of the EU. Northern Ireland would automatically become part of a united Ireland and part of the EU. As Ms Gildernew said earlier, that is 50% plus one. It is not any other weighted majority. There are other cases for weighted majorities in the formation of the executive that did not pass, as I said, but in respect of a border poll or a referendum, it should be 50% plus one.