Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the previous research Professors FitzGerald and Morgenroth did, The Northern Ireland Economy: Problems and Prospects, they concluded that Irish unity would not be affordable because standards of living in Northern Ireland were 10% to 20% higher than those in the Republic and it would cost too much for the Republic to maintain Northern Ireland's high standard of living. Five years later, it is almost the opposite case. Irish unity is unaffordable now, partly because of the cost of bringing lower living standards in Northern Ireland up to the level of those in the Republic. How did that change?