Preparing for the end of consociational power-sharing

The constitutional future of Northern Ireland remains defined by a delimited question mark. The established framework requires this level of uncertainty. Potential change is now a central concern for serious scholarly reflection. The specific aim in this chapter is to examine the implications of present deliberations about a united Ireland for consociational power-sharing. Those advocating constitutional change must form a substantive view on what is to be proposed in the concurrent referendums. That will be bound up with available evidence on success, sustainability, and stability – keeping in mind that these terms merit interrogation. Perspectives on the democratic experiment in Northern Ireland are likely to shape views of what should happen next. What the existing normative framework requires also demands analysis of the complex interactions between law and politics. Will a united Ireland lead to the end of power-sharing? If so, what other guarantees will be offered and what might these look like? When people reference a ‘New Ireland’, do they desire different institutional designs? This chapter maps out a case for an integrated Ireland that moves away from consociationalism while acknowledging its achievements.