Author: Alan Whysall
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Northern Ireland’s political future: challenges after the Assembly elections
The Constitution Unit has published a new discussion paper entitled Northern Ireland’s political future: Challenges after the Assembly elections written by Alan Whysall, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Unit. A further paper on longer-term prospects for Northern Ireland will be published later this year.
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The political foundations of Northern Ireland are at risk of crumbling
Not for the first time in recent memory, Northern Irish politics is in flux, the UK government’s Brexit deal is causing ructions and the power-sharing institutions are on the brink of collapse. Guest contributor Alan Whysall assesses the current crisis and argues that the foundations of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement are at serious risk of…
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Northern Ireland on the brink, again: The responsibility of London
As political tensions rise and riots erupt, or are provoked, on the streets of Belfast, the suggestion is now widely heard that the Northern Ireland institutions may again collapse before long. But London appears at present to have a limited grip of the Northern Ireland situation, suggests guest contributor Alan Whysall, and if it does…
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Border Poll or Bust?
Alan Whysall, former Northern Ireland office civil servant, now research fellow at the Constitution Unit at University College London discusses the operation of border polls.
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Northern Ireland in its centenary year: reviving the promise of the Good Friday Agreement
In the second of his two-part series, Alan Whysall argues that a majority for unity is probably not imminent; a fixation on the ‘union versus unity’ debate may be profoundly damaging; and that whatever the preferred constitutional outcome, the key requirement now is to revive the Agreement, and people in Northern Ireland need to take…
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Northern Ireland in its centenary year: a changing landscape
In Northern Ireland’s centenary year, the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement settlement may, suggests Alan Whysall, be under its greatest threat to date, as the Northern Ireland Protocol engages. In the the first of a two-part series, Alan examines the changing political landscape of Northern Ireland.
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Northern Ireland: politics on the move, destination uncertain
Three years on from the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive prompted by the RHI scandal, a power sharing government has returned to Stormont. Alan Whysall analyses the new deal, how it might work in practice and what pitfalls might await the new ministerial team.
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Northern Ireland and a border poll: hard truths
The Brexit issue continues to fuel speculation about the prospects of Irish unity following a border poll. Here Alan Whysall, Senior Honorary Research Associate at UCL’s Constitution Unit, warns that there are serious dangers looming here for both parts of Ireland – as well as the British government and the wider UK.
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Policy, vision and good government: the case for a Northern Ireland think tank
Next week, a new think tank will launch in Northern Ireland, focused on economic, social and good government issues. Called Pivotal, it is independent, but supported by a broad coalition of interests, and an academic partnership with both Queen’s University and Ulster University. Here guest contributor Alan Whysall, who has been working on the idea…
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A Northern Ireland Border Poll
This blog summarises comments made by guest contributor Alan Whysall at an event on border poll perspectives held in the School of Law at Queen’s on 25 July, organised by Prof Daithí Mac Síthigh and chaired by Conor McCormick. The talk built on a previous paper on the subject, published by the UCL Constitution Unit…