4 ms·
Northern Ireland Act 1998
by prvit 4y ago
Northern Ireland Act 1998
- dijit 4y agoYeah. I did CTRL-F on that and it found no relevant references to the word “referendum” or “7 years”. If you could point me to the section I’d appreciate it. Not saying you’re wrong; just that I can’t seem to find it easily and it’s not referenced outside a lot either.
- prvit 4y agoI’m on my phone and can’t dig through the laws properly, but here’s an citizens advice site confirming the same https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/ireland_and_the_uk/good_friday_agreement.html https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/... And here again https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/irish-reunification https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/irish-r... These are just the first hits from google, but the 7-year minimum is definitely a thing.
- dijit 4y agoHey, thanks for that. So it’s not every 7 years, that’s the minimum time between referendums, which I (inaccurately) read in your original comment. > A referendum on a united Ireland is to be called by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when it appears likely that a majority of the people would vote in favour of a united Ireland. If the referendum is defeated, at least 7 years must pass before a new referendum can be held. I think, though, if this was applied to Scotland then they would have reasonable cause since there definitely an independence movement.
- prvit 4y agoYeah, the point isn’t that they must have referendums every 7 years. It’s just that they can, provided they feel like it.
- notahacker 4y agoIt's not "they can, provided they feel like it". It's they can, if Westminster agrees to it. That detail is quite pertinent to this [similar] ruling
- prvit 4y agoAh, you’re right. My mistake was thinking that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was selected locally in NI, but he is in fact a crown minister in Westminster.