Change is in the air: The general election, Irish unity & a new future for all

» Declan Kearney

"There is now an unprecedented cross party political consensus on the need to plan and prepare for Irish unity"

During this general election campaign in the south of Ireland, the electorate has been presented with a real choice - between the plan for change presented by Sinn Féin, or more of the same from the two conservative parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. 

Both of these parties dominated southern Irish politics for over a century. They have consistently represented the economic and business interests of the elites in Irish society, ignoring the needs of workers, families and local communities. 

But change is in the air. There is a palpable and widespread desire for a new government and a new approach. 

Sinn Féin has campaigned with a plan to bring about real change: To tackle the housing, health, and cost of living crisis; to address the waste of public finances; and, to achieve Irish unity.

During the last two years the Sinn Féin Commission on the Future of Ireland has been making an important contribution to the necessary process of planning and preparing for national reunification. 

Nineteen public events have now been organised across Ireland, from Belfast to the Connemara Gaeltacht, and from Derry to Waterford. Several thousand people from all walks of life have participated.

Last Friday an economic conference took place in County Tyrone involving Sinn Féin’s senior finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD, northern Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Economy Minister Conor Murphy MLA, and Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd MLA. 

The focus of discussion was the impact of partition west of the River Bann and the solutions which Irish unity can provide.

This event and the others are tapping into a wider discourse.

The level of discussion on constitutional change is remarkable.

The dial has shifted on the debate. 

There is now an unprecedented cross party political consensus on the need to plan and prepare for Irish unity.

It has become a mainstream topic of conversation among citizens regardless of background or tradition across Ireland.

Important sections of international opinion also recognise that the potential for constitutional change is now on the political horizon.

During his visit to Ireland at the end of September South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, became the first significant global leader to publicly endorse the achievement of Irish unity. He spoke powerfully about the connections between the national democratic struggles in South Africa and Ireland; and reiterated the African National Congress and South Africa’s commitment to supporting the achievement of Irish unity. 

Economists, business organisations and academic researchers are extensively modelling the economic opportunities which would derive from a new constitutional settlement.

As the multifaceted nature of the conversation deepens, people are increasingly questioning how Irish unity might practically benefit their lives now and in the future.

A recent report, the General Election Survey 2024, which looked at recent election results confirmed that the proportion of people supporting the union with Britain has sharply declined in recent years to below 50% of the population.

The numbers positively considering Irish unity has increased by five points.

Recent successive elections in the north have demonstrated a momentum in the pro-unity vote, by contrast with the pro-union vote.

All of this is evidence of political realignment and demographic change in the north and which is in turn influencing the debate on Irish unity.

In July this year the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Good Friday Agreement, which has representatives of all of the major parties in Leinster House, called on the Irish government to begin planning for unity.

It said that: ‘Preparation for referenda on Irish unification will be a historic task. The Committee calls for preparation to begin immediately.’

So the debate on constitutional change is now centre stage and dates for the unity referendums provided for in the Good Friday Agreement should be set before the conclusion of this decade.

That is not to argue that we rush our fences.

The pathway to a new Ireland should be incremental and phased - intelligently and democratically managed. 

Sinn Féin has a plan to manage the transition to a new national democratic settlement on our island.  

We have set out our approach during this general election with key, practical steps, including, among others:

• To commence planning for, and actively working towards the holding, by the end of this decade, of the referendums on Irish reunification provided for in the Good Friday Agreement. 

• To produce a government ‘Green Paper’ in the first 100 days setting out our vision for a new and united Ireland.

• To establish a ‘Reunification and One Ireland’ unit within Roinn an Taoisigh (Department of An Taoiseach).

 • To appoint a Minister of State for Reunification and One Ireland.

• To initiate a diplomatic offensive to promote Irish unity through the many international forums and bodies of which the Irish government is a member, including the United Nations, and European Union.

• To convene a Citizens’ Assembly on Ireland’s constitutional future.

The point is that a new, all Ireland framework of governance must be carefully planned and resourced.

A Sinn Féin-led government after this general election will prioritise implementation of a coherent road map to achieve Irish unity. 

The partition of Ireland institutionalised the denial of the Irish people’s right to self-determination.

The United Nations Charter of 1945 enshrined the right of self-determination within international law. That principle was negotiated into the Good Friday Agreement as an integral provision. 

In the absence of a pathway to national unity, the north is at risk of being left behind, kept outside the EU, and cast to the periphery of the rest of Ireland by Brexit’s legacy.

Partition continues to impact negatively in the north of Ireland. It perpetuates the separation and duplication of public finance systems, and all public services on the island. It directly restricts the actual potential of the all island economy, and the economic growth, productivity and prosperity which would be unlocked by a unitary state. 

At the same time citizens in the north continue to be denied rights, from legacy justice, to proper investment for public services, and access to fiscal autonomy .

Irish unity opens a gateway to change all of that.

Sinn Féin is not advocating that the northern state is simply amalgamated into the south, for the status quo to continue as usual.

We are committed to a vision and plan for a new Ireland. That is, a new constitutional framework which is rights based and people centred.

An Ireland in which equality and rights are guaranteed, cultures respected, and the diversity of our identities embraced.

Irish unity is now the defining issue for our generation.

That’s why Sinn Féin has made Irish unity a key issue in the Irish general election. Neither Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael want to have that discussion.

A Sinn Féin led government will prioritise constitutional change and we have a credible plan to do so. We want to tackle the national and the social challenges facing all of our people.

Now for the first time in over a century there is a real prospect for Sinn Féin to lead government both in Dublin and Belfast at the same time. That would be a catalyst for previously unimagined change; which would be positive, progressive, inclusive, anti-sectarian, and multicultural.

This is a decisive general election, it can become a watershed which allows the people of Ireland to become the authors of a new, exciting future. 

Seize the moment. Tapaidh an deis. 

Vótáil Sinn Féin.