Could Brexit mean a United Ireland?
A new poll conducted by Deltapoll, which had a sample size of 1,199 showed that Brexit could tilt the majority of voters in Northern Ireland to support a United Ireland.
Support for the idea remained low if the United Kingdom were to give up on Brexit and stay in the European Union. In that case, only 40% of those in Northern Ireland would support reunification.
However, if Brexit goes ahead as it is expected to, that number jumps to 57%.
If the UK leaves with a hard border, which currently looks eminently plausible, then that figure climbs further to 58%.
UK (Northern Ireland), Deltapoll poll:
Irish unification referendum:
If UK remains in EU
Yes: 40%
No: 60%If UK leaves EU
Yes: 57%
No: 43%If UK leaves EU with a hard border
Yes: 58%
No: 42%Field work: unreleased
Sample size: 1,199#Brexit #BorderPoll— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) September 3, 2018
As it stands, the UK is just seven months from the deadline by which it has to leave the EU. There has been no trade deal agreed with the European Union, and for as long as the trade details remain unclear, then a return to the hard border on the island of Ireland remains a strong possibility.
In the 2016 Brexit referendum, Northern Ireland voted by a clear majority to remain in the European Union.
There have been growing calls for a second referendum on the matter, or a “People’s Vote,” but Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed the idea as a “gross betrayal of democracy.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
