Debate contribution: Independence Referenda
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 11 May 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Independence Referenda
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5523827
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I will reiterate: a strong pro-Union majority voted in Scotland, and a strong pro-Union majority voted in Wales. There is a strong pro-Union majority across this United Kingdom. Unionism is the largest designation in this place, and Northern Ireland is led by a joint and co-equal First Minister who is also a strong and passionate unionist. Northern Ireland's future and the future of the Union of the United Kingdom is strong, and, every day, I will continue to fight for that strength and support across the United Kingdom. However, I will say this: the people whom we serve want us to get on with doing the business of government. They want us to get on with fixing our health service, improving education and growing our economy, not running off, at the first little chink, and trying to talk about the abolition of the very place that we are elected to serve and to try to make work.
157 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.33 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.73).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.78).
- Subject area: Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty.
- The overall probability was low and the text did not adopt any identity-based framing.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.73 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.06 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.17 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.23 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.12 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.33 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.78 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.21 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.98 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:36 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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