Brexit: Prospect of United Ireland 'now not as remote'

     REVEREND Paisley made part of his               contribution in Gaeilge: IMAGE                          SOURCE, PACEMAKER

Published

30 September 2022

The son of the DUP founder, Ian Paisley, has said the prospect of a united Ireland is not as remote as it once was.

The Rev Kyle Paisley said this was due to the Brexit uncertainty and the trade border between Great Britain and North of Ireland.

He was speaking at the Seanad (the upper house of Irish parliament) on Friday.

The twin brother of DUP MP Ian Paisley said that it would be a "herculean task" to win moderate unionists over to a united Ireland.

Rev Paisley, who made part of his contribution in Irish, said: “My heart is fixed and can’t be won” but he admitted that a “disastrous” Brexit had changed some people’s attitudes.

He said there were serious questions about a united Ireland including whether it could financially match the UK block fund and whether it would be an “irreversible severance”.

In a question and answer session, Rev Paisley said that because of the “long shadow” cast by the Northern Ireland Troubles there was still a fear among many unionists that there are people who would seek to exploit them in a united Ireland.

He said that while it may be possible to respect and acknowledge the culture and history of unionists in a united Ireland he was of the view that “you can’t really be a unionist without the union".

The former Alliance leader and Fine Gael MEP, John Cushnahan, told the committee that he questioned “the wisdom” of those using the recent Northern Ireland census to seek a “premature” border poll.

He said future constitutional change “must be able to win the consent of the nationalist majority and the unionist minority” rather than a 50% plus one margin.

Mr Cushnahan suggested that it might be better to allow academics examine the issues surrounding change rather than a citizens’ assembly.

The Seanad committee on the Voices of all Communities on the Constitutional Future on the Island of Ireland earlier heard from young people north and south of the border about their thoughts on the island’s future.

       DUP MP Sammy Wilson criticised              unionists thinking of attending the              Ireland's Future event in Dublin 

Meanwhile, DUP MP Sammy Wilson told the Belfast-based Newsletter that he regarded any unionist thinking of attending the Ireland’s Future event in Dublin on Saturday as “patsies” and “useful idiots” in the hands of united Irelanders.

Thousands of people are due to attend the conference which will discuss planning for a united Ireland.

The event, to be held at the 3Arena, will hear from a range of politicians, members of civic society, and business representatives.

Organisers say the conference is the "most significant and important" event to discuss a united Ireland.

Ireland’s Future was formed to "advocate for, and promote, debate and discussion about Ireland’s Future".

It has held a number of events since it was formed in 2019, but this weekend’s will be its biggest to date.

The leaders of Sinn Féin and the SDLP will be joined by senior figures from all of the main political parties in the Republic of Ireland.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who is due to become taoiseach in December, will give a keynote address.

Organisers say they expect several thousand people to attend the event.

With many thanks to: BBC News NI for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: A growing majority in the North of Ireland think Brexit has increased the likelihood of a United Ireland

Former Thatcher cabinet minister Norman Tibbit predicts Irish Unity

Rev Kyle Paisley to attend Senate's session on constitutional future of island of Ireland

Former RUC Chief Constable believed a United Ireland was inevitable, book claims

Brexit: Prospect of United Ireland 'now not as remote'

Prospect of Sinn Féin leading government North and South now very real, says McDonald

PARTY LEADER tells US audience there will be a referendum on Irish unity within a decade and that people are ready for a united nation

 Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill    both predict there will be a referendum       on Irish unity within the next decade.             PHOTO: Kelvin Boyes/Press Eye. 

             Thursday Sep 8th, 2022. 

The prospect of Sinn Féin leading governments North and South is now very real, party leader Mary Lou McDonald has told an audience in the United States.

Speaking at the University of San Francisco in California on Wednesday night she forecast there would be a referendum on Irish unity within the next decade.

“We must prepare for that day. The people of Ireland are ready. We are ready to be a united nation once again.”

          OUR: Future is Irish Unity 

She described the partition of Ireland a century ago as “a disastrous act of political vandalism” that had resulted in “the creation of two reactionary states on the island of Ireland”.

“The North, the Orange state, was a place of brutal oppression and discrimination. Nationalist Catholics were excluded from power and denied jobs, employment, and basic civil rights.”

“The South became a deeply conservative state that kept women down, marginalised ordinary working people and turned its back on progressive politics.”

However, she that Ireland was now transformed and that seismic, generational change was under way.

“Today, we reach for full nationhood, for the fair and equal society our people so desperately want, and ultimately, we reach for the reunification of our country”.

She said unity was “the best idea for the future of Ireland and the greatest opportunity we face”.

    A United Ireland - Why Unification is                                 Inevitable 

“It demands that both the Irish and British governments wake up and catch up to the fact that the people of Ireland are choosing a future of unity and togetherness.”

Ms McDonald said Sinn Féin wanted to be in government because it was ambitious for Ireland and its people. “We refuse to be held back by those who are tired and out of ideas.”

She said people in their 20s and 30s were likely to be the first generation in Ireland to be worse off than their parents, adding they were locked out of opportunity and locked out of home ownership.

“This is not right. It is only natural that each generation stands and succeeds on the shoulders of their parents. That is the very bedrock of human progress.”

Ms McDonald said the driving force behind Sinn Féin in government would be the principle that each generation must advance, each generation must thrive and each generation must have the chance to make it.

Ms McDonald promised Sinn Féin in government would seize and maximise the opportunities presented to Ireland in its ability to be a powerhouse in the development of renewable energy.

She said Ireland could play a key role in decarbonising the economies of Europe. “Ireland should and can be a world leader in the production of clean, renewable energy.

“Our abundant wind resource put us in the position where our small island could be an international hub for renewables, and there exists an exciting opportunity particularly in the development of our offshore capacity and green hydrogen.”

The Sinn Féin leader said in Northern Ireland in May the people had voted for progress, for a government for all and an executive that rolled up its sleeves and got the job done.

She said the DUP “must end the boycott of democracy and of the political institutions, and work to form a government that work for the people”.

Ms McDonald told the event that as new British prime minister Liz Truss entered Downing Street “she must break with the bad-faith agenda of her predecessors and change direction, end the unilateral actions and respect international law”.

“We need to see a recommitment to the Good Friday Agreement, support for the restoration of the political institutions, and an end to game playing around the Irish protocol.”

With many thanks to: The Irish Times and Martin Wall for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: Unionist-dominated Ulster is over: Are we on a demographic march towards Irish reunification?

How Brexit and a blundering leader of the DUP and his party have ensured the Union's days may well be truly numbered

Prospect of Sinn Féin leading government North and South now very real, says McDonald