SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has welcomed Fine Gael’s Blueprint for a Unified Island, describing it as an important step towards serious, practical preparation for a New Ireland.
The Blueprint proposes a dedicated Minister of State for North-South Relations, a Constitutional Planning Unit, a Standing Constitutional Forum and a sovereign wealth fund to prepare for the costs of constitutional change.
It also recommends closer cooperation between economic development agencies, increased Shared Island investment, greater support for reconciliation and reforms to strengthen Stormont.
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP said:
“The SDLP has spent years developing practical proposals on constitutional change, and we have welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with Fine Gael on these issues. It is encouraging to see so much common ground on planning, economic ambition, North-South cooperation and reconciliation.
“Alongside the Taoiseach’s recent announcement of a new body to examine constitutional futures, there is now real momentum behind this conversation. But unity needs unity. The Government parties must work together on a coordinated programme of preparation, drawing on the best ideas from across political and civic society.
“We particularly welcome proposals for dedicated ministerial responsibility, a constitutional planning unit and a fund to prepare for the financial implications of change.
“The economic analysis is a useful contribution, but the debate cannot be confined to the costs of transition. We must also examine the costs of maintaining the status quo and the enormous potential of an integrated all-island economy, including greater investment, productivity and prosperity. A New Ireland should be an opportunity to transform our economic prospects, not simply reconcile two existing systems.
“Crucially, making Northern Ireland work better today and preparing for a New Ireland are not competing projects. They are part of the same ambition. We welcome Fine Gael’s recognition of the need to reform Stormont, an issue on which the SDLP has been relentless in securing Assembly support and engaging both Governments.
“A New Ireland cannot simply be about assembling a constitutional majority. It must be about building a better future in which every identity and tradition is respected.
“The challenge now is to turn this growing consensus into coordinated action and meaningful progress for people across our island.”
