Unionisms in Times of Change: Brexit, Britain and the Balkans by Jennifer Todd

Author:Jennifer Todd [Todd, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781032043753
Google: qGBhzgEACAAJ
Goodreads: 57571834
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

3. A citizens’ assembly

3.1. Rationale for a citizens’ assembly

To identify citizens’ considered reactions to these two models, we organised a citizens’ assembly on a modest scale. Our justification was clear: despite the fact that the constitutional distinction between staying in the UK or advocating a united Ireland is of long-standing and high salience in Northern Ireland, consideration of distinct possible models of a united Ireland has been rare. The issues are complex and novel to many, and hence a thoughtful and considered process of learning and deliberation is arguably appropriate (Bächtiger, Dryzek, Mansbridge, & Warren, 2018; Fishkin, 2009). Second, we wished to examine the dynamics of opinion formation. As citizens learn and deliberate about the different possible models of a united Ireland how, if at all, do their views evolve and change (O'Malley, Suiter, & Farrell, 2019)? Do they become more in favour of one particular model and less in favour of another, once they have had a chance to consider, discuss, and reflect on both? Measuring views before and after the citizens’ assembly allows us to identify evolution in opinion. Conducting a citizens’ assembly enables us to combine quantitative and qualitative evidence. Thematic interrogation of the deliberative transcripts of the citizen discussions contributes to a fleshed out and nuanced understanding and interpretation of quantitatively observed opinion change, allowing us to identify what it is about each of the models of a united Ireland that citizens find attractive, puzzling, problematic or anathema, once they have had a chance to learn about them and engage in discussion about them.

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