Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that only a Sinn Féin-led government will drive forward plans for a United Ireland.
She said that Sinn Féin in government would commence preparations for a United Ireland and will seek to hold the referendums on Irish reunification, provided for in the Good Friday Agreement, by the end of this decade.
Speaking today, Mary Lou McDonald said:
“Seismic change is underway in Ireland. We now need to step up the conversation about the future of Ireland, about how we confidently manage constitutional change, and build the momentum for the achievement of Irish Unity in our time.
“This is the conversation of a generation, and it must be at the centre of this General Election.
“We need a mature and respectful conversation about constitutional change. It’s a conversation that should be approached with optimism, ambition and a real sense of opportunity.
“The conversation must be inclusive. It must recognise that people hold different and competing views about the future.
“Partition has hurt Ireland politically and economically. We now have the chance to change that. It is time to plan and prepare for a United Ireland.
“A century of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is long enough. A century of the partition of our country is long enough.
“It’s time now to look to the future with ambition and hope. That future points to reunification.
“Sinn Féin is driven by our vision for a better future for Ireland. At the heart of that change is achieving a United Ireland.
“Sinn Féin in government will commence preparations for a United Ireland and will seek to hold the referendums on Irish reunification provided for in the Good Friday Agreement by the end of this decade.
“A Sinn Féin government will commit to:
- Commencing planning for and actively working toward the holding, by the end of this decade, of the referendums on Irish reunification provided for in the Good Friday Agreement
- Producing a government ‘Green Paper’ in the first 100 days setting out our vision for a New and United Ireland
- Establishing a Reunification unit within the Department of An Taoiseach
- Appointing a Minister of State for Reunification
- Initiating a diplomatic offensive to promote Irish unity through the many international forums and bodies of which the Irish government is a member, including the United Nations, the European Union
- Establishing a joint Oireachtas Committee on reunification and future constitutional change
- Beginning the necessary planning and preparation for unity by establishing a Citizens’ Assembly or Assemblies on our constitutional future
- Maximising the benefits of the all-island economy to ensure prosperity and growth, delivering social, environmental and economic benefits improving the lives of people across the island
“Unity is about building a nation where the people come together, and the people come first.
“Sinn Féin will put reunification at the centre of our government programme with a plan for unity that will drive constitutional, legislative, and political change in Ireland.
“We will prioritise driving forward plans for a United Ireland for a better, fairer, stronger country.”
