Two Obstacles to Irish Unity by Joe McVeigh

As I see it, there are two main challenges to the right of the Irish people to self-determination. Firstly, we still have to contend with the British political establishment -Tory and Labour-and they will not give up their first colony so easily. They will look for ways to maintain a foothold in this part of Ireland and prevent Irish reunification. The British do not accept the rules of democratic government and they do not keep their commitments. They have been imperial grandmasters for so long. “You can never trust John Bull”.

We have seen recently, how the British Secretary of state Heaton-Harris and the Tories showed their true colours before the recent return of the DUP to Stormont. They produced a document to reassure the DUP that the Union was safe. Their loyalty, as always, is to the Unionists. 

In the 1998 Belfast Agreement, they maintained that they were now neutral and agreed to hold a border poll. The British will decide when that should be held. They could delay holding the referendum -given their history of bad faith in relation to Ireland.

The second main challenge is the apathy and sometimes hostility of the Dublin political establishment towards the notion of Irish reunification and those who are working to bring it about. This political establishment has been in power since the State was formed in 1922 and, it would seem, is quite happy to let the political situation drift. They could not be bothered with the notion of Irish reunification or promoting the right of the Irish people to self-determination. They sometimes offer the lame excuse that Unionists are not ready to buy into Irish unity. So they do nothing. They do not seem to realise that some from the unionist tradition are already convinced that it would be beneficial for all and indeed, that it is now inevitable. Others are open to persuasion. There are some who will probably never be persuaded. The task for Dublin and London is to be persuaders.

In order to counter negative reports about the cost of Irish reunification, a Dublin government should sponsor a group of qualified people to consider the economic implications of Irish unity. This needs to be done sooner rather than later in order to counter the pro-unionist nay-sayers.

Given these two obstacles to the right to self-determination from both London and Dublin, the only way that the democratic wishes of the Irish people will be respected is through the holding of a border referendum within the next 5 years. It is clear to very many people in Ireland that the only way democracy can be advanced in Ireland is when the right to self-determination is recognised in law and in a new constitution for a new Ireland.

It is also becoming clearer since Brexit that the best economic future for all the people on this island is as part of the European Union.

In preparation for the Border poll the Irish people are going to need support from freedom loving people around the world to help bring about a sovereign democratic republic. The Irish government in Dublin should already be seeking international support for Irish self-determination. Successive Dublin governments have sat on the fence for far too long and paid lip service to Irish re-unification.

It is time for the Dublin government to set up a Citizens assembly to deal with the many issues like Health and Education and the inclusion of unionists that need to be addressed in a new Ireland.

The next generation in the six counties deserve better than previous generations who were forced to live in a one party state with draconian laws and a pro-Unionist police force. Thankfully, that day is gone but it is now time to prepare for a new political future.

Irish reunification is the only guarantee that young people of all political backgrounds will enjoy a more prosperous future, living and working in their own country which is run by their own elected government independent of Westminster. Such an outcome will not be a victory for any one tradition in Ireland but a victory for democracy and all citizens living on this small island.