By Peter Kissel
In the absence of any interest, much less action, by the Irish Government to plan for the upcoming referendum on unity (a border poll) as mandated by the Good Friday Agreement, other organizations are taking the initiative to sponsor meetings with the people and facilitate on-line discussions about unity. The Irish Times and ARINS (a joint research project of the Royal Irish Academy and the Keough-Naughton Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame) organised two deliberative forums this year, one in Belfast and one in Athlone, on the topic of government formation in the event of a united Ireland. ARINS said that these gatherings allow for examination of people’s considered judgments, North and South, after they have had the chance to learn about the issues and to discuss them with one another.
It is widely recognized that considerable planning, thought, and discussion is essential to conducting a legitimate border poll. The Brexit fiasco has laid bare the truth of that maxim. Graham Spencer writing in the March 6 Irish Times astutely observed that “conversation about the constitutional future of Ireland requires that people speak and listen to each other … Only then can a fully informed decision on the merits of each position be properly judged and weighed by voters.” Spencer further noted that “The act of listening between different groups and sides is the basis of respect and dignity for those involved and provides the impetus for progressive relations moving forward. It is also the basis of trust.”
Ireland’s Future
Separately, Ireland’s Future, a non-political grassroots organization, has been holding citizens assemblies for several years. At its most recent conference last month in Philadelphia, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stressed that a referendum should not be held until the issues and hard questions have been properly addressed. The unity issue, he stated, is “the political project of our generation” that “belongs to no one person, no one party, no one community and no one government. It belongs to all of us who believe in it.” Mr. Varadkar has become increasingly outspoken on his support for Irish unity since resigning as Ireland’s Prime Minister.
Irish cultural and arts organizations also recognize the urgency of healthy debate ahead of the referendum. I recently watched a screening of “The Irish Question”, sponsored by Solas Nua, a Washington, DC-based multi-disciplinary arts organization that is dedicated exclusively to contemporary Irish arts. “The Irish Question” presents an in-depth examination of the considerations involved in determining when – not if – a border referendum should be held.
The issues are presented through the lens of interviews with politicians, journalists, academics, and ordinary people in the North of Ireland, with important context provided by historic footage of protests, demonstrations, and other scenes from the Troubles. A common theme expressed by many people on the ground was the fundamental need, in preparing for a border poll, to address the damage to individuals and society by the aftershocks of those years. It is widely understood that even with the best of intentions, lingering anguish will continue to be felt by succeeding generations of all traditions no matter the result of a border poll.
Additionally, last year, numerous civic, legal, labor and other organizations in Ireland and North America co-sponsored an Irish Unity Summit in the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York to consider how a referendum should be conducted and the implications of Irish unity. Participants included New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, Professors Brendan O’Leary and Christine Kinealy, New York Times columnist Megan Stack, and New York State Senator (now Congressman) Tim Kennedy. The Summit was co-sponsored by the Irish American Unity Conference, Brehon Law Societies of NYC and Nassau, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, James Connolly Labor Coalition, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Long Island, and Friends of Sinn Fein. Upwards of a thousand people from across the US and Ireland attended.
The potential expense and effort in preparing the Irish people for a border poll must be recognized and budgeted for by the Government. There is no doubt that such an effort, if properly conducted, will require considerable time and expense. However, the Irish Government is awash in surplus funds and is equally awash in Minsters who have little to do other than support the current government.
The ruling Irish Government is being left behind by other organizations that are taking the initiative to bring people together for discussion of the unity question. Yet, the debate needs a centralized structure and guiding hand which only the Government can provide. The in-depth “examination of people’s considered judgments North and South” hailed by ARINS, and the give-and-take conversation envisioned by Spencer must be guided by the Irish Government.
The Good Friday Agreement was signed by the Irish Government over a quarter century ago. It is long past time that the Government take the necessary steps to prepare its citizens for the coming referendum on Irish unity.
*Peter Kissel is National President of the Irish American Unity Conference and a member of the Ad Hoc Committee to Preserve the Good Friday Agreement. The views expressed are his own.
