Episode 75 – Northern Ireland: The Constitutional Conversation.

In this episode, Professor Colin Harvey reflects on the constitutional arrangement here in Northern Ireland with Emer Smyth, a Master of Laws student at QUB. At the end, Colin is asked five quickfire questions about himself - the answers can only be one word or one sentence. In this episode we cover: - The Good Friday Agreement - its rights-based and constitutional promises. ( the Agreement itself can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement The Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. You can follow the activity of the Ad Hoc Committte on a Bill of Rights here: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/assembly-business/committees/2017-2022/ad-hoc-committee-on-a-bill-of-rights/ & the Northern Ireland Human Right's Commission's advice to the British Government on a Bill of Rights can be accessed here: https://www.nihrc.org/publication/category/Bill-of-Rights? Brexit & the European Union - the implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland & how Brexit alters the debate in that if there were a referendum on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland and people voted for re-unification, Northern Ireland would automatically rejoin the EU. Colin Harvey's paper (mentioned in the episode) with Barrister Mark Bassett can be accessed here: https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/the-eu-and-irish-unity-planning-and-preparing-for-constitutional- The South/Republic of Ireland - how that factors into the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. - The role of academics in the constitutional conversation.