A Letter from Ireland

a Chara,

I hope that you got all that you wished for at Christmas. As we head into the New Year, it is timely to look back at the year past.

In the North of Ireland, the Assembly and Government continued their work uninterrupted. These institutions operate on a unique power-sharing basis, reflecting a changing but still divided community. Managing the tensions and political differences in a mandatory coalition is always challenging.

This Stormont parliament is far removed from the gerrymandered government established at the time of partition. The pro-British Unionist majority is gone and not coming back. This year, the Assembly passed a Sinn Féin-backed resolution calling on the South to extend voting in the Irish Presidential election to Irish Citizens in the North. A resolution that would have been unthinkable only a matter of years ago. All has changed and changed utterly.

Unionists, Nationalists and others now face the joint challenge of managing an inadequate budget set by the British Government. We are again seeing the real cost of partition in the north with reduced investment in public services.

Over the past year, the British government has reneged on its promise to revoke the previous government’s legislation that provided an amnesty for their military for killings during the conflict and obstructing the rights of the families of victims to have full legal recourse to the courts and coroners.

They are now seeking to amend the legislation, and we will know the full impact of their proposals later next year. This government has followed the lead of previous British governments in blocking the full disclosure of information across cases and multiple murders. It will require international pressure to ensure that the British Government live up to its commitments. There is a particular role for the Irish Government to hold the British to account for the killing of Irish Citizens.

In January of this year, the new Irish Government led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael came into power. This government looks much like the last, held together by opposition to Sinn Féin. The same political parties in Government, with the same policies, have led to the deepening of the housing crisis and the loss of a generation to Britain, Canada and Australia.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have led the government and opposition in Dublin since the establishment of the State. In a desperate bid to halt the change brought about by the rise of Sinn Féin, they now govern in coalition. Over the past year, Sinn Féin has consolidated its position as the largest party in the polls, with falling support for the government. However, the next planned general election is not due until 2029.

The leader of Fianna Fáil and current Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin, shortly after taking office, ruled out planning, preparing or advocating for Irish Unity Referendums over the government term. This position is at odds with popular opinion in the South that supports Irish Unity. The right to referendums is part of the Good Friday Agreement. The former Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil and one of the signatories of the Agreement, Bertie Ahern, this year stated that referendums were inevitable and that Irish Unity was desirable.

Another former Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar, speaking in Philadelphia this year, said that “Uniting Ireland was the political project of this generation”.

One of the most significant images of the year was at the inauguration of Catherine Connolly as Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland), over her shoulder sat Leo Varadkar with the former Taoisigh. When she described Irish Unity as the will of the Irish nation, he nodded along in agreement as the current Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, sat stony-faced.

Catherine Connolly won the Presidential election by a landslide over the Government parties’ preferred candidate, and Irish Unity was central to her vision of Ireland.

By the end of the year, both houses of the Oireachtas, the Dáil and the Seanad, have passed motions calling on the Irish government to begin the process of planning and preparing for Unity referendums. The motion was not opposed by the government, but it remains to be seen if they will act in line with the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Constitution and the will of parliament and the people.

Across Ireland and internationally, Irish Unity is now centre stage.

This year, the Friends of Sinn Féin organisations hosted thirteen Irish Unity Commissions across the United States and Canada. Each had its own character, but all shared a passion to bring about Unity.

As we approach the end of the year, I want to thank all who have attended the Commissions, shared our newsletters and supported Friends of Sinn Féin. In particular, to Greg O’Loughlin and Mark Guilfoyle and the Board of Friends of Sinn Féin USA and Alan McConnell and the Board of Friends of Sinn Féin Canada, who make all of this work possible.

Ireland is changing. The Irish and British governments may want to hold on to the past of division and partition. Irish Unity is the future. It is time for them to listen and start work to prepare and plan for the referendum. It is our job, all who believe in unity, to secure and win those referendums. Next week I hope to address the challenges and opportunities that next year will bring.

Meanwhile enjoy the rest of the holidays.

Have a great weekend,