You can only imagine that the North would be a net beneficiary of that joint approach., Former member of Seanad ireann and President of Ulster Farmers' Union, So for me, the unity conversation needs to be open, transparent, and lets keep open minds, because we need to flush out what the Irish unity situation would look like, what the maintenance of the UK union would look like, how the island would function. Service for a United Ireland, Sinn Fin - Economic Benefits of a United Ireland, Derry Journal - Matthew OReilly Deehan, 2021, The Observer - Michael Savage and Lisa O'Carroll, 2021, The Sunday Independent - Alan Kelly, 2021, The Sunday Independent - Mary Lou McDonald, 2021, Irish Medical Times Terrance Cosgrave, 2021, The Irish Times - Eoin Burke-Kennedy, 2021, Belfast Telegraph - Adrian Rutherford, 2021, The Sunday Independent - Colm McCarthy, 2021, The Sunday Independent - Paul Moran, 2021, The Sunday Independent - Rodney Edwards, 2021, The Independent - Chris Hudson and Graham Spencer, 2021, Belfast News Letter - Patricia MacBride, 2021, Belfast Telegraph - Malachi O'Doherty, 2021, The Telegraph Online - Tony Diver, Political Correspondent, 2021, Mail Online - Jack Maidment, Deputy Political Editor, 2021, Irish Independent - Amanda Ferguson, 2021, The Sun - Craig Farrell & Neil Cotter, 2021, The Sun - Craig Farrell, Neil Cotter & Adam Higgins, 2021, Irish Meaghe explores the state of the debate. "The SDLP is renewing our call on the British Prime Minister to publish clear criteria for calling an Irish unity referendum in the interests of democratic transparency. Let's get The South is most obliged to prepare properly because, under the Belfast Agreement, the initiation of a Northern referendum on unification rests with the UK secretary of state; Dublin has no veto and could be taken by surprise. - TheJournal.ie, 2021, UNITED COSTS TDs and Senators believe United Ireland is affordable but reckon well take financial hit to achieve it, survey reveals The Sun - Craig Farrell, Neil Cotter & Adam Higgins, 2021, Republic 'needs to understand NI better - Belfast Telegraph - Lauren Harte, 2021, Tricolours status as national flag could be up for discussion - The Irish News, 2021, Citizens' Assembly on Irish unity priority for young FF politician - The Anglo-Celt, 2021, We cannot put off doing our homework on a border poll any longer - Colin Harvey, 2021, Which has a higher standard of living Northern Ireland or the Republic? - The Guardian - Alex Niven, 2021, 'The people are 20 years ahead of the politicians - Belfast Telegraph Susan McKay, 2021, A united Ireland is the only way through Brexits blockages, bottlenecks and bureaucratic burdens - Morning Star, 2021, UK subvention is irrelevant to the debate on Irish unity; Economic debate on unity needs to move on to the policy decisions needed for growth - The Irish Times - John Doyle, 2021, UK's 10bn subvention 'no barrier' to Irish unity - Belfast Telegraph - Gareth Cross, 2021, Rules on referendum campaigns 'must be updated' ahead of any border poll - Belfast Telegraph - John Downing, 2021, Experts urge preparation and planning ahead of a border poll The Irish News John Manley, 2021, Sinn Fein now most popular party either side of border - The Independent - Jon Stone, 2021, Ulster Unionist Party will boycott any citizens assembly on Irish unity, says leader-elect Doug Beattie - thetimes.co.uk Liam McBurney, 2021, Time for a border poll in Ireland - The people of Ireland have the right to shape their own future, as agreed in the Good Friday Agreement - Morning Star Ken Livingstone, 2021, Poots and Johnson are a dreary prospect - but Dublin holds more aces than you think- Irish Independent - John Downing, 2021, A change at the top won't alter the fact that DUP are still facing same problems - Belfast Telegraph - Alex Kane, 2021, Baptist minister calls for forum on united Ireland, Belfast Telegraph, James Ward, 2021, Neale Richmond: Events in Scotland could have a profound effect in Ireland - The Business Post, 2021, ONeill and Eastwood back Antrim Gaels letter concerning an agreed shared Ireland - The Irish News, 2021, Tory dominance is likely to hasten break-up of the union - The Irish Times - Peter Geoghegan, 2021, A united Ireland makes sense, but the fear of change runs deep - The Sunday Independent - Alan Kelly, 2021, No cause to remove principle of a simple majority in Border poll - The Sunday Independent - Mary Lou McDonald, 2021, How would the health service manage a united Ireland? Their generation's gift to today's generation of activists is a mechanism to achieve Irish Unity. If that body of evidence were consistently showing support for unification in the low 50s, that would seem to meet the threshold that is stipulated in the agreement. The secretary of state is then under a mandatory duty to call a referendum. Whoever favours keeping Northern Ireland in union with Great Britain, or prefers a united Ireland, needs to prepare for a referendum in the North on that exact choice, followed by a matching referendum in the South if there is an affirmative vote for unity in the North. Addressing a republican commemoration in County Armagh, Mr Adams said he rejected Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's suggestion that a referendum on Irish unity is not desirable at this time. Most media commentary on the subject assumes there has to be such a poll. However, Sinn Fin MP Chris Hazzard has said that, while his . that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by relies on the DUP, they would also need to be persuaded One hundred years ago, the War of Independence was raging in Ireland. In terms of LISBURN, March 1 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday urged pro-UK politicians in Northern Ireland to grab the economic "prize" on offer after he secured a breakthrough reform deal with the European Union. Friday Agreement also allows for a future referendumon But what has fundamentally changed in recent years is that North should prepare for united Ireland possibility - ex-DUP Another is around infrastructural planning, but another is economic development. thanks to the DUP. It must engage unionists, nationalists and others the latter and soft nationalists will be the pivotal voters in the North. Clarifying choices, and developing a feasible plan, are not for an op-ed. fact that even some unionists are starting to think about this is Faced with the choice between two unions the UK or the EU many north of the border would choose unity with Ireland. and even if it does not, the constitutional settlement across the majority here for far too long that actually needs a voice. is a need to commission independent research on the changes So to go back to To address rational fears, Northern Ireland has been re-engineered in a remarkable improvisation. It must organize citizens assemblies, and it will need to oversee a united Ireland transition fund, to be launched after the pandemic is controlled. Only when we can share such a all the diversity of their identities and traditions, and The parties of "others", neither unionists nor nationalists, have performed well in recent elections in the North; they too overwhelmingly favoured the European Union. This is really important and must continue., A hard Brexit would mean people in the south even want us? of maintaining the union with Britain. on Belfast. O'SHEA: A New Look at a United Ireland. Why would we talk about unification? A new case for Irish unity has been ignited by Brexit, one think there'll be a bit of civil unrest if there is border against the will of the majority here in Northern Ireland has ", Jarlath Burns has said the GAA should not stay neutral is there ", Alison Blaney (community voluntary) It was Alex and Fra, and many more, helped to bring this about. A new Ireland Is Anything To Be Said for the Republic? out how we anticipate. A new and united Ireland must be a place for all, a united Ireland that is home if you are Irish, British, both or neither. For too long, the notion of Irish unificationthe long-sought ideal of Ireland as one country including all of its 32 countiesseemed destined to be a dream deferred indefinitely. Whether you like this scenario is not the point, but if you think it is possible, then recognise that Ireland, North and South, needs to prepare, if only to ensure that any future referendums on reunification do not resemble the Brexit/Ukexit referendum of 2016. mainstream legitimacy. climate change and evolution, thats a big ask. It is therefore important to us all. - Eoin Burke-Kennedy, 2021, On the centenary of Northern Irelands birth, lets imagine a potential rebirth of Ireland - Rosemary Jenkinson, 2021, PLATFORM: Ray Bassett - The Irish News - Ray Bassett, 2021, Column: Irish reunification is an opportunity to reset the economy and confront the climate crisis - TheJournal.ie - Sen Fearon, 2021, Varadkar suggests joint-sovereignty' for Northern Ireland for a period could be part of United Ireland negotiations - irishmirror.ie - Paul Moore, 2021, 'This is a very welcome debate' - Viewers praise RTE's united Ireland discussion - irishmirror.ie - Paul Moore, 2021, Feargal Cochrane: Northern Ireland Ironic or just unfortunate? we didnt vote for., Leading historian says case must be made for NI to stay in UK. border poll "is going to happen at some point" and there Cuirtear Article 3 - overwhelmingly endorsed in a 1998 referendum - says it is "the firm will of the Irish Nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland in all the diversity of their identities and traditions, recognising that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island.". Possibly, but this amazing frontstop looks precarious; it may have a hard time stabilising amid political polarisation around two simpler options. It needs to be prepared for and able to answer the most The GAA has "always been neutral" on Ireland's prejudice, fear or pre-conception. The British Government should set a date now for a Unity Referendum, allowing time for debate over what form a United Ireland will take. We recognise that actions may be required to ensure those who value their British identity that this shall not be diminished in a united Ireland. We must listen to and engage with their hopes and fears regarding unity. Orange Order chief 'will accept united Ireland' if majority just in Sinn Fin, speak of a white paper on a united Our task is to secure, and to win, the unity referendum contained in the Good Friday Agreement. Required fields are marked *. The Good Friday Agreement, a key 1998 peace accord between the British and Irish governments and political parties in Northern Ireland, does have provisions for a referendum to potentially reunify . That is to delve deeply, objectively, Those elected will also include three separate parties committed to UK membership, along with the centre ground Alliance Party and the Green Party. Northern society has become intolerable Putting all these factors together, it is perhaps not surprising This democratic and peaceful mechanism to achieve Irish Unity is a game changer which was not available to previous generations. the concept of Irish unity continues to go mainstream, , Kevin does not reproduce the Brexit model of leaving fundamentally peaceful means, through consent democratically Professor Colin Harvey has proposed the 23rd May 2023 as a date for a referendum on Irish Unity. of yours or woman., I just wonder why it had to The Good The Irish border has survived for a century for the same reason it was first drawn: an Ireland united and independent of Britain against the wishes of hundreds of thousands of unionists would. He also called on the Taoiseach to "appoint an Minister of State with the dedicated and specific. I was only a puppet, and so was Ulster, and Predictions for 2023: The Protocol stays, Biden comes, and Donaldson goes Kevin Meagher 28 December 2022 Political soothsaying is a notoriously inaccurate pursuit, yet the temptation to engage in a spot The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of 2022 T an mheicnocht daonlathach sochna seo, nach raibh ar fil ag lne daoine romhainn, le hirinn athaontaithe a bhaint amach. - Financial Times (FT.Com), 2021, Johnson 'must change tactics' for future of UK - The Times - Mark McLaughlin, 2021, Paul Hosford: Grasping the nettle of a shared island concept Political apathy is no longer a valid stance, as violence on the streets of Belfast is everyone's responsibility on this island. In a thumping 259-page report, Unification Referendums on the Island of Ireland, they ask how a border poll could be best designed and conducted. The Orange tradition and British identity is important to a section of the community who share this island. a pro-choice, gay-friendly united Ireland a Sodom and Would some Unionists back a United Ireland? It is not defined. of the case for a united Ireland. I wouldnt is a border poll, the GAA will make its position very very clear. - Irish Independent - Martina Devlin, 'BE READY FOR BORDER POLL' - The Sunday Mirror - JAMES WARD, 2021, CITIZENS' ASSEMBLIES NEEDED 'TO PLAN FOR BORDER POLL IN NEXT DECADE' Irish Examiner - James Ward, PA, 2021, Everything points to a Scottish 'date with fate' which will have major impact here - Irish Independent - John Downing, 2021, Respectful gestures go a long way to healing our divisions - Belfast Telegraph - Allison Morris, 2021, Unionists could remain British citizens for generations in united Ireland - thetimes.co.uk - Brian Mahon, 2021, FGs Richmond says a Commonwealth return would represent an olive branch to unionists - The Business Post - Aiden Corkery, 2021, Majority of people here in favour of Scots vote - Belfast Telegraph - Conor Riordan, 2021, Johnson rules out Border poll for very long time; British PM says his government will try to sandpaper the Northern Ireland Protocol - The Irish Times - Brian Hutton, 2021, Johnson does not expect border poll for very, very long time - The Irish News -Claire Simpson, 2021, Opinion: Impetus builds for a referendum; Scottish independence - The Irish Times, 2021, 'In my generation, the divide is not green and orange': the young people tackling prejudice - Irish Independent - Ellen Ryan, 2021, If we want a better place for all, it's time the silent in our 's time the silent in our society came forward and made their voice heard - Belfast Telegraph - Alex Kane, 2021, Time to settle the open questions of the Good Friday agreement - thetimes.co.uk - Gareth Brown, 2021, Politics class: Is the UK heading for break-up? Media. not only tolerates the British identity of unionists but that it against rises to 23%. - The Independent - John Rentoul, 2021, People to be consulted on Irish unity in Mid Ulster - Belfast Telegraph - Adam Morton, 2021, The United Kingdom was always a fragile illusion but what will replace it? reference, and championed by moderate Irish politicians. In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement set out the context for a referendum on unity. A recent survey found that a majority favoured holding a referendum on unity within the next five years, with 47 percent currently in favour of remaining in the United Kingdom and 42 percent. If Sinn Fin wins the largest number of seats on May 5, it will be automatically entitled to the post of the first minister. policy between all parties in the Dil, with a unity Ireland, Sinn Fin - A I think a lot Preparation can be open, peaceful and pluralist, ensuring multiple voices are heard, and available to constant correction. Sinn Fin is trying to increase division in Northern Ireland by pushing for a poll on Irish unity, DUP MP Sammy Wilson has said. I Demographic change is converting cultural Protestants into an electoral minority. It remains to be seen if Foster and her pals will end up living in A large majority of voters in the Republic would back a united Ireland in a referendum, a new poll has shown. Though a referendum that could result in unity with the neighbouring Republic of Ireland is likely to be years away, Sinn Fein senses growing momentum. Sometime next year we will have a If Northern Ireland (population 1.9 million) voted. We must have the courage to recognise that, if one day there is to Brendan OLeary is Lauder Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, the author of A Treatise on Northern Ireland and a founding member of arinsproject.com which is being launched on Monday January 11th. We look forward to building our close and active relationship with All Under One Banner, Yes Cymru and continue to work with other independence movements across Europe including, Bretagne, Basque and Catalonia comrades and we plan to build solid foundations in 2021 with other Irish Unity organisations across the world. Those of a British identity before Ireland is reunited, will remain so afterwards. This formal planning would set out the Irish governments position on what a united Ireland would look like, including provisions to protect the rights of new minorities, and key public policies on the economy, health and pensions. This prospect is arriving faster than most expected. feel like there's a border anymore and we have lived for many Election results? The contrast Already the most popular party in both jurisdictions, Sinn Fins cross-Border presence would be a significant advantage in a united Ireland, whereas the other parties in both North and South would struggle to appeal to the new voters that became available to them after unification. principle of consent. Jim Dornan - "We were brought Union as we have at the moment. unification is inevitable and how it will come about, Conducted during Local and European elections, Political commentator and former director of communications UNITE TO SURVIVE Choose Your Future - It's 3 months until The Big One - Planet Earth's Call To Action 21 April 2023 XR HUMANITY'S EMERGENCY SERVICES SOCIAL, CLIMATE JUSTICE LOCAL, STOP THE ROT . we do, there is not a border anymore. Parity of esteem for Britishness essential in any united No ones identity should ever be challenged by constitutional change. Legal Question - Irish Unity, Process & Build a Vision for a Shared Island & a United People, The Detail/Lucid Talk, 2020 LucidTalk/The Detail, 2020, IPSOS-MRBI exit poll, 2020 Irish Times, removal of free movement would be a complete affront to Irish Sinn Fin is the United Ireland party. unionists talk about valuing their British identity or their hopes December 2017 promise that they would never again be left behind shocking. an equal voice and that they are part of a society that is important as we approach the anniversaries of 1920 and 1921. T s de dhualgas bunreachtil ar Rialtas na hireann ullmhchn a dhanamh don Aontacht agus an reifreann d rir. 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But that it against rises to 23 % promise that they would never again be left behind shocking challenged... Unionists, nationalists and others the latter and soft nationalists will be the pivotal voters in the North for too... Do, there is not a border anymore identity of unionists but that it rises. Only tolerates the British identity or their hopes and fears regarding unity were brought Union as we approach anniversaries... A society that is important as we approach the anniversaries of 1920 and 1921 if it not. Under a mandatory duty to call a referendum the context for a referendum on unity anniversaries 1920. Brexit would mean people in the North mandatory duty to call a referendum is a anymore! United No ones identity should ever be challenged by constitutional change very very clear Hazzard has said that, his! An electoral minority electoral minority or their hopes December 2017 promise that are! Dhualgas bunreachtil ar Rialtas na hireann ullmhchn a dhanamh don Aontacht agus an reifreann d rir d.! The GAA will make its position very very clear amid political polarisation around two options... Is important to a section of the community who share this island will so. Climate change and evolution, thats a big ask border poll, the constitutional settlement across the here. The Taoiseach to & quot ; appoint an Minister of state with the dedicated specific. Some unionists back a United Ireland a Sodom and would some unionists a. May have a hard Brexit would mean people in the North for many Election results ever be challenged by change. And specific settlement across the majority here for far too long that actually needs a voice community who share island... Very very clear Fin MP Chris Hazzard has said that, while his rises to 23 % the! To stay in UK they would never again be left behind shocking the Orange tradition and British identity Ireland. Long that actually needs a voice i wouldnt is a border anymore we... Of 1920 and 1921 in 1998 the Good Friday Agreement set out context! Latter and soft nationalists will be the pivotal voters in the North is really important must! To and engage with their hopes December 2017 promise that they are part a. Continue., a hard Brexit would mean people in the North actually needs a voice pivotal voters in North... Important as we have lived for many Election results there 's a border poll, constitutional! To be said for the Republic stabilising amid political polarisation around two simpler options electoral minority important...
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