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Ten years following the UK entered into a hurried public vote that polarised the country and caused disorder, a caution emerges from across the Irish Sea: it could happen again.

The government and voters sleepwalked into Brexit and the same may happen with a referendum on a unified Ireland, initiating upheavals for which no one is equipped.

That conveys the caution from two leading journalists from each side of the Irish border who have collaborated to examine the advantages and disadvantages of Northern Ireland leaving the UK to establish a fresh nation with the Republic of Ireland.

Governmental Establishments Unprepared

Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride, have determined that the government bodies in Ireland and Britain are extremely unprepared for a possibly fraught and transformative public vote.

"The crucial insight of Brexit remains unheeded, which is that developments can arise suddenly and can gain traction swiftly," the commentator said. "It is my view that the political architecture of our region remains highly fragile."

Released Volume Aims to Encourage Dialogue

The duo have studied the governmental, economic and societal reasons for any structural alteration in a book, Examining Irish Unification, published by the Dublin-based Royal Irish Academy.

They aim to encourage dialogue on the matter with a tour of public talks that will bring them to Westminster in the coming weeks.

"What haunts all parties, or ought to concern everybody, is the Brexit referendum of 2016," said the analyst.

"We do not want a national vote on a binary, ambiguous question whose implications have not been spelled out because then you end up with an extremely polarised community where people who have lost are unable to accept losing and the people who have won don't know precisely what it is that they have won."

Legal Framework

Under the Good Friday agreement, the Northern Ireland secretary of state is obliged to schedule a referendum on Irish unity if it seems probable that a majority would approve.

Nationalist parties and other nationalists say that moment is imminent, and a group named pro-unification advocates has garnered backing, but authorities in Dublin and London and pro-UK factions downplay the likelihood, making it uncertain when or if there could be a national vote.

Insufficient Serious Debate

Partisan language for and against unity has obscured the shortage of substantive discussion, stated the journalist.

"People tend to be for or against the idea but the actual thinking which might go beyond that to realise it has largely not occurred. Much has gone on in academia but hardly any politicians or advocates seek to involve themselves with even the essentials. For instance, what sort of state might be preferred? Centralised? Decentralised?"

Publication's Method

In the volume, none of the commentators supports unity or the current situation. They authors two articles that strive for objectivity in detailing the case for a unified Ireland and the argument opposing it, marshalling financial and societal data, historical precedents and governmental frameworks.

Discussions range over national emblems, taxes, healthcare systems, retirement funds, sovereign debt obligations and the risk of pro-UK militancy. The aim is to enlighten and provoke discussion.

"There's huge interest in the issue but there hasn't quite been a debate," said O’Toole. "Dialogue implies an acceptance of the concept that there may exist reasonable perspectives on both sides."

Dual Referendums

A referendum in Northern Ireland would additionally cause one in the republic, where citizens say they favour unity but refuse paying higher taxes or introducing a alternative symbol to reflect pro-UK communities' British culture.

"Authorities in Dublin does need to establish what the plan from pro-unification movements is other than just declaring: 'We want a unified Ireland and we value you'," stated O’Toole.

Possibility of Referendum

The journalist believes a national vote in his era is possible and that it could happen unexpectedly. "It is possible just a mad or a poor or a negligent government minister who states: 'Let's just do this and get it out of the way.'"

Each of the nationalists and pro-UK supporters have reasonable, justified arguments, he commented. "One side will prevail here and the other side will in the end lose but both parties has possesses something to acquire from the other's arguments."

Appeal for Wider Dialogue

Westminster should join the debate, said the analyst. "This concerns your state. It's a British issue as much as it is an Irish matter."