By Judge Michael C. Mentel
Twenty-seven years ago an agreement was entered into by the British and Irish governments, along with key unionist and nationalist political parties, which brought an end to the Troubles. The agreement was the Good Friday Agreement (the “GFA”).
The GFA established various political structures to realign the unionist and nationalist communities towards a cooperative and respectful coexistence. Notably, these structures include The Northern Ireland Assembly, The Northern Ireland Executive, the North/South Ministerial Council, and the British-Irish Council. Although these structures suffered some difficulties over the years, they are still in place today.
| All indicators make clear that a border poll is at hand. The economics, facts, and surveys tell us that the government must lead a planning process, and it must do so soon. The Irish and UK governments aversion to holding dialogue on a border poll, while issuing a joint statement in support of the northern status quo, is not grounded in the GFA and its sound public policy. Preparing a plan is not the execution of the plan. And, failure to do so is inexcusable. |
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