The choice for unionists is stark

However, as Belfast had always been a unionist city, and with a built-in majority of 65%-35% throughout Northern Ireland, I thought constitutional change unlikely to happen within my lifetime.

Now, I am not so sure. The day will come when the growing nationalist share of the vote overtakes the shrinking unionist vote and I now believe that this change will happen much sooner than any of us ever thought.

Reponses to the Brexit referendum would indicate that 52%-48% seems to be the acceptable majority by which irrevocable and seismic political changes may be implemented and while the united Ireland lobby may not reach that at the moment, when you realise that more nationalist voters are being added to the electorate each year and more unionists are shuffling off this mortal coil (or moving to ‘greener’ pastures) I cannot but believe that the inevitable will actually happen and moreover, that I will live to see it.

The choice then for unionists (many of whom are represented by the DUP) is fairly stark. What kind of united Ireland do you want? – and if you are genuinely interested in the well-being of NI, how should you prepare these blessed six counties for the almost certain future?

It is hard for me to imagine that anything other than ‘regulatory convergence’ with the EU would be the best preparation for the future. What must be equally important for unionists is: what will our role be in the governance of an Ireland in which we are a significant minority?

Another option for the DUP is to try and win the hearts and minds of those whose inclination is nationalist and try to persuade them that a Northern Ireland within the UK will be a ‘warm and prosperous house’ for all – well good luck with that because in my view what might have been a possibility, according to opinion polls pre Brexit, has since Brexit (and the DUP’s implacable support for a hard Brexit) become a much harder strategy to follow.

Both these options invite the DUP to radically change its policies if they are to have any positive impact on the future of this island and for that reason, unfortunately, I do not believe that they may be relied on to do either of these things.

Some unionists may not believe in the certainty of a united Ireland at some stage. They are deluded. Failure to prepare for such an event unfortunately may see them isolated and irrelevant.

The rest of us may just take a deep breath and say ‘OK, how can we help?’

My Irish passport application is in the post.

Barney Gadd,

Belfast BT9