Ben Collins’s latest book aims, as former president Mary McAleese says in the foreword, to set out “the many benefits which will arise from the reunification of Ireland”. It does so clearly, albeit prescriptively at times, with chapters on various economic and public policy sectors. The book is particularly interesting because its author is from a unionist background.
Unfortunately for the author, there is little in the book that would entice unionists to “join the conversation”, nor perhaps to persuade those who do not know what way they would vote in a referendum on a united Ireland.
The author strikes a polemical tone at times: “All of us across the island should be open” to discussing constitutional change, as it is a legitimate aspiration under the Belfast Agreement.
A united Ireland is, of course, a legitimate aspiration, but there is no onus on all of us to be open to discussing it. Indeed, Brendan O’Leary, author of the seminal text Making Sense of a United Ireland, has commented that it is rational for unionists not to engage on the topic of a united Ireland, given that they oppose it.
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Collins’s core argument is that public policy failures will be improved if partition is removed. Brexit is an understandable justification for this claim. However, the author does not interrogate the general argument, or play devil’s advocate. For example, the argument that revising the Belfast Agreement would improve public policy efficacy in Northern Ireland is not mentioned. Nor is the Irish Government’s Shared Island initiative, which eschews constitutional aims, mentioned in great depth, even though it aims to improve public services provision.
Similarly, the author seems to oppose Stormont continuing in a united Ireland, despite the fact that ARINS/Irish Times surveys have shown that if there were a united Ireland, a majority of unionists would prefer to retain a devolved government.
Nevertheless, the book contains useful information, particularly for those interested in the topic and/or in favour of a united Ireland.
Etain Tannam is associate professor, International Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin
