Let's talk about reunification: Valuable lessons to be learned from the German example |
LET us talk about Irish reunification. A border poll doesn’t seem imminent but since Brexit was painfully conceived, debates around reunification have certainly popped up more often.
Recent surveys in Northern Ireland suggest that the gap between the two camps of either strongly supporting the Union with the UK or a united Ireland has shrunk.
Interestingly, support for a united Ireland is stronger among the growing group identifying as neither unionist nor nationalist, a crucial bloc for any potential future majority, said Prof Pete Shirlow from the University of Liverpool at the Royal Irish Academy in June this year.
We should be warned though. I feel, every time a debate about Irish reunification features, there’s a gaping lack of detail, clarity and concrete plans. It all remains vague which does not help the overall discussion.
There are lessons to be learned from other countries. For example my home country Germany, which is seen as a successful example of a reunified nation. But has Germany lived happily ever after since reunification? Little could be further from the truth.
The event itself, German reunification in 1990, was a fortunate coincidence in history. Facilitated by then Irish Taoiseach Charlie Haughey, it helped at the time that the Soviet Union was stuck in a deep economic crisis and weakened by their Afghanistan adventure, also conscious of losing the technological battle with the USA. It seemed it was time for change, which came rapidly and most........