Poll findings show we are a long way from a ‘New Ireland’

There has been much scrutiny of polls in Northern Ireland on both voting intentions in elections and on intentions on the constitutional question.

After polls from LucidTalk that found only narrow support in NI for staying in UK, there has been a more promising result in a recent University of Liverpool poll showing a two to one majority in favour of the Union.

That tallied with comprehensive research on the border question such as the Life & Times survey.

These results have bolstered unionists amid relentless promotion of a ‘New Ireland’ (ie the destruction of the UK).

There has been much less attention given to southern attitudes on these key constitutional questions but there have been many indications that Irish attitudes to Britain and to unionism have hardened since Brexit.

One poll found overwhelming support for President Higgins in his snub of the Armagh centenary. An ecumenical service whose apologetic organisers were so keen not to upset nationalism that it barely mentioned Northern Ireland, and in which the most striking thing said was an attack on partition by Archbishop Martin, was nonetheless too much for President Higgins — and for the Republic population.

Now there is a poll which shows that while a clear majority of southern voters still want a united Ireland, 60% of those surveyed, the enthusiasm for it is far short of overwhelming.

It also shows low levels of support — well under 50% — for gestures to unionists such as changing the flag or changing the anthem in a single Irish state. In other words, unionists would be expected to suck up the republican narrative.

Ireland, which since becoming a republic hasn’t even been able to bring itself to join the Commonwealth, unlike nations where the pre independence population suffered codified racial discrimination under British rule, would not even support doing so in the event of a all island state.

One thing is clear in these results — thinking south of the border is still more old-style republican than ‘new’.

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