SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has welcomed growing recognition within the Irish Government parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, of the need for serious and structured preparation for Ireland’s constitutional future, saying the job of building a new Ireland must be matched by practical action to build a better Northern Ireland in the here and now.

The SDLP Opposition has launched Politics for the Common Good: Beyond Constant Crisis, a major new policy paper setting out an ambitious programme to reform Stormont, end the cycle of political paralysis and ensure Northern Ireland’s institutions can deliver for people today while preparing for the possibilities of tomorrow.

The party says that building a new Ireland and making Northern Ireland work are not competing ambitions, but two essential parts of the same project. They have also called on the Irish Government parties to work together on preparing for constitutional change following the Taoiseach’s announcement on a new public body to consider the issue and ahead of Fine Gael’s Blueprint on Unity that is due to be published later in the week.

The paper proposes a three-stage programme of reform, beginning with immediate changes to strengthen accountability and prevent political collapse, moving towards a wider examination of power-sharing during the next Assembly mandate, and setting out a longer-term vision for more effective, accessible and responsive government.

Among its proposals are:

• Ending the ability of one party to collapse government, including allowing nominations for First Minister and deputy First Minister to pass to the next eligible party, alongside the introduction of Joint First Ministers.
• Removing unnecessary vetoes and strengthening accountability, including reform of the election of the Assembly Speaker and to additional Executive veto mechanisms introduced under the St Andrews Agreement.
• Building a more effective Executive, linking government formation to an agreed Programme for Government and introducing a statutory duty on Ministers and departments to cooperate on shared priorities.
• Giving communities a greater voice, particularly in decisions around public investment, regeneration and public services.
• Beginning a longer-term conversation about power-sharing, including the potential for voluntary coalition and reduced reliance on community designation, while protecting rights, equality and political identities.
• Bringing the Assembly closer to the public, including exploring its relocation to an accessible building in Belfast city centre and taking proceedings into towns and cities across Northern Ireland.

The SDLP is also calling on the British and Irish Governments to facilitate an urgent process to agree immediate institutional reforms before the next Assembly election, followed by a wider programme of political and civic engagement during the next Assembly mandate.

“It is welcome to see a growing recognition within Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that Ireland’s constitutional future requires serious, structured and inclusive preparation.

“The SDLP has long argued that those who aspire to Irish unity have a responsibility to do the substantial work required to make it possible.

“That is why I have written to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste urging that unity needs a unified approach, and proposing a process akin to the New Ireland Forum, bringing political parties and civic society together to identify common ground, explore areas of disagreement and begin addressing the practical questions that constitutional change would bring.

“But we cannot spend the next decade discussing what a New Ireland might look like while failing to improve people’s lives in the here and now.

“For those of us who believe in a New Ireland, making this place work better today is part of preparing for that future. We need stronger public services, more accountable government, better infrastructure and an all-island economy that realises its enormous potential.

“Our ambition is a New Ireland, with a better Northern Ireland along the way. Reconciliation, political reform and preparation for constitutional change are not separate conversations. They are part of the same responsibility.”

SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole MLA said:

“Politics is not delivering for people in Northern Ireland. We have an Executive that cannot agree a Budget, public services under enormous pressure and political parties too often consumed by arguments about who holds power rather than what they intend to do with it.

“The Good Friday Agreement created the foundations for peace and partnership, but it was never intended to be the final destination for our politics. We need institutions that are stable, accountable and capable of delivering for everyone.

“Our proposals would end the ability of a single party to collapse government, remove unnecessary vetoes, link the Programme for Government to the Budget and bring the Assembly closer to the people it serves.

“We don’t just want institutions that are harder to collapse. We want government that actually works.

“If we are serious about building a better future on this island, we have to demonstrate that politics can make a difference to people’s lives here and now.”