Professor Fidelma Ashe:

That was the original work we conducted over two years. It was in the middle of the Covid pandemic so we had the added torture of having to do it online in the end. Now we have more time in the workshops so we are able to conduct them over a Friday and a Saturday, which is fantastic.

5 o’clock

We have groups of disabled women coming in the next few weeks to take part in a workshop. This matter is important. Two years ago, I used to go to conferences and meetings, talk to co-ordinators of groups and tell them we were setting up workshops on constitutional conversations. They would respond by asking whether the conversations would be on unity and I would say “Yes”. There would be immediate fear among the co-ordinators and they would say their group did not take a position on the constitutional issue. One really had to work with co-ordinators of groups from that point forward. Again, the key is to ensure people know that all perspectives on the constitutional issue are respected and that we are going to talk about socio-economic issues, security, civic participation and the exclusion of certain groups.

Our agenda is not necessarily to determine how to have constitutional change but to ensure that all people, including marginalised groups and groups that are devalued and not listened to but that have important knowledge, can participate. It is a question of breaking down the fear through the way workshops are shaped and providing a workshop structure that is not threatening to people and allows them to talk in comfort. Everyone has had experiences with healthcare. Most women have had experiences related to security. Most women would understand the difficulties associated with trying to engage politically. All these issues comprise very familiar ground but, on the basis of that ground, one can move to other issues, such as a Border poll. It is easier to open discussions on socio-economic issues than discussions on identity. That is not to displace the latter in any way but it is a matter of opening up space so identity issues do not completely saturate the ground for discussion. The identity issues already receive much focus, so it is a matter of opening additional space for ordinary people to talk about the issues that matter most to them.

Everyone has asked me about the funding. There is no easy way around this. A citizens’ assembly would be much cheaper but would not have the participatory impact of broader forms of work.