Unionists living in Northern Ireland who identify as British “are wanting to have the conversation” about a united Ireland, according to an academic overseeing the first People’s Assembly in Belfast.
Eilish Rooney will be the independent chair at Wednesday evening’s “fully subscribed” event in the city’s Waterfront Hall, which has been organised by Sinn Féin.
An emeritus scholar at the Transitional Justice Institute in the School Of Law at Ulster University, the Belfast lecturer is a member of the Constitutional Conversations Group, a “small informal” initiative set up in 2019 by academics and rights’ activists to promote dialogue on Irish unity.
“What strikes me and I think it’s worth highlighting is that there’s an eagerness to widen the conversation to enable people who have a variety of views to participate,” she told The Irish Times.
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“I’ve been involved in the group now for quite a few years. We’ve been going round having conversations both in public and in private at grassroots level.
“We’ve discovered that people who are unionist and British and proud to be, are also wanting to have the conversation – not to be converted necessarily, but to have their say.”
Healthcare staff, business representatives, trade unionists, educationalists and representatives from the community sector will be among the 400 people attending the People’s Assembly conference, according to west Belfast Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey.
It comes less than fortnight after a conference hosted by civic pro-unity organisation, Ireland’s Future, in Dublin’s 3Arena was attended by senior representatives from 10 political parties and a crowd of more than 5,000 people.
‘Democratic way’
Mr Maskey stressed that the Belfast event was not a replacement for a citizen’s assembly, which Sinn Féin has called on the Irish Government to establish to discuss constitutional change in an “orderly, peaceful and democratic way”.
“We have a view of what a new Ireland will look like but I think it’s important we engage with a wide sector of the community through a People’s Assembly,” he added.
“We deliberately kept this out from rank and file members because there’s no point in us talking to ourselves.
“It’s our event but it’s earmarked for those people who aren’t in the party so we can hear their voices as well. This is why it’s been given over to an independent chair. South Antrim MLA Declan Kearney and our president Mary Lou McDonald will say a few words at the start but the chair will take over the rest of the meeting. It’s the right thing to do.”
Among those who have forwarded a written submission to the Belfast event is Ben Collins, a former Conservative Party member from east Belfast who supports a united Ireland.
A former chief executive of the NI Federation of Housing Associations, his submission is mainly about the improvement of all-island housing – which he sees as a “foundation stone for society”.
Benefits
However, he has also appealed to unionists to join the debate and has written a book, Irish Unity: Time To Prepare on his journey from a “stubborn Ulster Scot” opposed to constitutional change to advocating for a border poll.
“I’m from a unionist background but I would describe myself as a liberal who believes in the benefits of Irish unity for everyone,” he said.
“It’s important that we can all come from different perspectives and different views of the past. But that shouldn’t stop us working for a better future for all citizens across the island of Ireland.”
A former press officer with the Northern Ireland Office, who now works in public relations, Mr Collins urged Republicans wishing to engage with unionists to avoid “celebrations” of Troubles-related violence.
“Coming from a unionist background, there’s a difference between commemoration and celebration of certain activities in the past,” he told The Irish Times.
“I think commemoration is one thing because we all want to remember the past so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.
“I guess it’s one thing to commemorate those who were injured or who lost their lives in the Troubles but what we want to avoid is celebration of past acts of violence that took place in the conflict.”
Political party representatives in Belfast were also invited to attend the event.
Ms Rooney called on unionist political leadership to “step up” on the issue.
“I can understand why a political party wouldn’t publicly join these events or indeed have them. But they must be aware that their constituents want to know ‘what way forward’ for people who are British and loyalist – and want leadership in that direction.”
