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LIVE MORE LIFE, BE MORE iIRISH

A Tale of Many Taoiseachs

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Ireland's Future Irish Unity

A Letter from Ireland

a Chara,

I have been thinking about the Irish Unity People’s Assemblies recently hosted by Friends of Sinn Fein in Washington DC and Rockland, NY.

Common across both events was the refusal of the Irish Government to plan prepare or advocate for Irish Unity.

After all this government is led by  “Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party” and “Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party”. It seems that both have ditched the second half of their names.

The Good Friday Agreement amended the Irish Constitution with Irish Unity as the “firm will” of the Irish Nation. Despite this constitutional imperative, the current program of the government is silent on unity.

The leader of Fine Gael and Tánaiste Simon Harris, when asked about reunification, casually dismissed the issue as “not a priority” for him.

The Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach Micheal Martin will perform all sorts of verbal acrobatics to avoid even mentioning a United Ireland. Former Taoiseach, Sean Lemass, set Fianna Fáil policy, when he said, “Our goal is the reunification of Ireland by agreement and we cannot expect very speedy results. For the record that was in December 1959 sixty-six years ago.

The Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998. It provided a pathway for the people to decide. It appears that the closer society gets to unity the further away Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael retreat.

Recent ARINS (Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South) polling data carried in the Irish Times show increasing support for Irish unity in the North. Support for Unionism (continued partition) no longer enjoys majority support. In the south support for unity remains consistent at over 60%.

The polls show majority support in both jurisdictions for referendums in the coming years. The polling also found that 77% of Northern Unionists would be happy or could live with the result if a referendum delivered Unity.

The demand for referendums is building.

An intervention by the Irish Government would be the game changer in terms of winning a referendum for  Unity in the North. It is all to play for in terms of unity and the Irish Government is refusing to take to the pitch.

Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have prospered under partition. They do not organize in the North of Ireland. They have no long-term vision for the nation. For them, it is about retaining power in Dublin. Simon Harris might as well have said that the future is not a priority for him. It is all about maintaining the status quo and refusing to recognize the historic economic, social, and cultural potential for our nation to be unified.

The former Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael is due to speak at a fundraising diner in Philadelphia in April for the pro-Unity Ireland’s Future. He recently wrote in his newspaper words to the effect that movement towards unity would have to come from outside of this government.

This Irish Government will not change itself. However, you have leverage and skin in the game. Now is the time to raise your concerns as an Irish Minister shmooze their way across the US and Canada. It is time for them to listen and begin to plan and prepare for Unity.

 

Have a great weekend.

Is mise,

Ciarán

Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America

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