How can we integrate Unionism into a possible United Ireland?

UK is 11th least corrupt country in the world out of 180 so it would seem that Transparency International, the leading commentator on this doesn't agree with that perspective on the UK as a whole. Probably off-topic for this thread.

As for NI, if judged on its own, it would be very far down the list, well below most EU countries, thanks mainly to the actions of the two main parties up there.

Can you present any verified data on that?

I can match each of those with similar scale issues here in the south and in the UK.

What I asked for, which you don't have is data for your contention, not the feeling in your waters.

If you don't look for exported corruption, you obviously won't find any

I think the op question is growing more hypothetical by the day.

the penny seems to be dropping even for sf. They have thrown massive money and energy at the UI push over the last months , with the wind of brexit and the protocol in their back. But Michelle knows it’s not happening in her lifetime. It feels strange to be agreeing 100% with Michelle 😂

OWC, inwards and upwards

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/Sam-mcbride/michelle-oneills-priority-shifting-from-a-border-poll-is-highly-revealing-41523619.html

😁 There's an election coming downcow - 'politicians will say more than their prayers' as they say here.

Belligerent Unionism will try to make it about the Protocol and the end of de Union, the Shinners are not gonna play ball with that. Excellent strategy in my view.

I can see Jim Allister going apoplectic red here as his scaremongering about an imminent border poll will fall on fallow ground.

They may as well wait for a good time.

Though right after 2008 there were people saying unification was now dead forever because of the ROI's economic situation and that had become a non-issue by 2013-2015.

This is quite enlightening, if a tad amusing.

our No1 optimistic United irlander on the board perceives 30% for UI (and 33% in 15 years) as a positive result and a step forwards?

he also suggests a clear win for unionists would be demoralising for unionists and good news for republicans - are you for real?

and he reckons unionists will be concerned what rest of the world would vote for, when we have the gfa guarantee, secured by the ira campaign, of self-determination for Northern Ireland

It's 'good polls/bad polls' syndrome again.

These polls are irrelevant until a plan/white paper for a UI is presented. Support for a UI is higher than it was for Scottish independence when their referendum was granted. And support for the union much lower too.

5-10 years.

And it will come when an Irish government indicates to Britain that it is ready to proceed with a proposal/white paper(it will not be based on polls or anything else).

And if SF or a FF party (returning to it's natural roots, which is the only way to properly revive itself) get into government then I think that will be one of the programme for government items. It will be key to SF's coalition demands anyhow I would imagine.

Under the GFA it's for the NI SoS to call a border poll.

They can call a border poll whenever they like, but I can't think of any reason why an NI SoS would want to, if they could possibly avoid it. It will be hugely controversial, destabilising, etc. So the issue we should be looking at is not when a border poll can be called, but when it must be.

The GFA requires the SoS to call a border poll if it seems to them that it is likely to result in a majority for reunification. While it's up to the SoS to make this assessment, I think the pressure will be on them if the facts and circumstances point strongly to the conclusion that, yes, a border poll will likely pass - so strongly that it is not really credible for the SoS to say, no, they don't think it will.

What kind of facts and circumstances would suggest that a border poll is likely to pass? A mere statement of intent by an IRL government that it is "ready to proceed" with producing a white paper would certainly not be enough, not least because we have no idea what the white paper, when produced, would actually say. On the other hand, I think opinion polls would be an important factor. Opinion polls will be conducted, and I don't think the SoS can be compelled to acknowledge that a border poll is likely to pass if opinion polls at the time are showing a majority for the union.

That's not to say that planning by the IRL government, the production of white papers, etc, would be irrelevant. But I think their relevance would be in influencing public opinion - making reunification appear more politically realistic or imminent that it currently appears; influencing the (large, and growing) segment of public opinion in NI that is undecided, or open to persuasion, on the question; refuting the argument that reunification should not be supported because IRL is unprepared for it or not prepared to take the steps or make the changes that would make it feasible, etc. But none of the effects will be produced simply by a statement of intent to do some planning and produce a white paper; the planning will have to be done, and the white paper produced, before they have any effect. Then we'll have to see if that effect is a rise in support for, or openness to, reunification in the NI electorate.