THE VIEW (BBC ONE) isn’t always fascinating, but it was last week. It consisted of an extended interview with Prof. Brendan O’Leary, and then a commentary on what was said by Ben Lowry of The Newsletter, Patricia McBride and Prof Duncan Morrow. 

The interview started by considering “losers’ consent”.  As O’Leary put it, “It’s best to have as much consent from the losing side as possible.” (No, Virginia, I’m not stunned by the originality of that idea, either). A good example of losers’ non-consent, we were told, was the invasion of the Capitol building by Trump supporters after he lost the Presidential election. Neither Mark nor the Prof drew the distinction that those who stormed the Capitol claimed the election result was rigged, whereas any border-poll backlash would be from people who knew they’d lost but still refused to accept the result. 

Some unionists don’t even want to talk about Irish reunification, and Prof O’Leary said he’d probably do the same, in their shoes. But meanwhile, the Dublin government should create a Ministry for national organisation. Many people had been ‘burnt by Brexit’ – voted for something they didn’t understand, so O’Leary saw the need for the creation a model of unification. At present many of those who’d oppose Irish unity are clinging onto an out-dated model of Britain good and rich, Ireland bad and poor. No longer valid, the mild-mannered prof pointed out. In terms of the economy, healthcare, education, the south is now doing better than the north. But not many Unionists know that. 

Those  favouring a border poll needed the Dublin government to be central to the preparation of a model of a reunited Ireland, and once created encouraging unionists to explore it. 

When Brendan O’Leary moved off-stage, Ben Lowry, editor of The Newsletter gave his usual highly civilized response. But civilized doesn’t have to mean sensible: Ben tended to drift off into irrelevancies about Protestant church attendance levels and Catholic levels. What this had to do with Irish reunification wasn’t clear.

Patricia McBride gave her Irish News column some free advertising and urged unionists to find out about the south’s economy (in surplus), and the superior state of the south’s Slaintecare to the north’s NHS. Mark Carruthers was quick to know what concessions she’d offer unionists. Patricia seemed open to discussing anything – regional Stormont parliament, British passports, whatever..

Duncan Morrow was his predictable on-the-one-hand/on-the-other self. 

Overall, though, the programme was and is (on iPlayer) eminently watchable. At last, proponents of a border poll look like they’re getting ready to establish how a new Ireland might look. At last.