Dodds attacks '˜vacuum' in united Ireland thinking

North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds was reacting to Gerry Adams’ renewed call for a border poll, made as Sinn Fein unveiled a new blueprint for trying to end partition.

Called ‘Towards a United Ireland’, it includes the proposals that on a re-unified island there would be a series of enshrined protections for unionists (including the option of British citizenship), and the potential retention of a devolved administration at Stormont.

Mr Dodds said: “Every time the issue is raised, we are told that the case for a united Ireland is overwhelming, but oddly none of these brilliant arguments are ever deployed.

“Similarly, it apparently only requires persuasion for unionists to support a united Ireland, but there is never any discussion as to why this persuasion hasn’t taken place up until now.

“It is perfectly possible for nationalists and republicans to have the debate about a united Ireland, but that can take place without a border poll.

“The fact that so few people are actually interested in having the conversation only raises the question why some people wish to highlight that failure.”