Author of Time For Irish Unity Ben Collins lays out practical initiatives the next Irish government should make in preparing the ground for a United Ireland.
By early 2025 we will have a new Irish Government. Although as various commentators have pointed out, there could be an election before the end of 2024, following the Irish Budget which will be delivered by the current coalition in October. The Irish Labour party has already set out a detailed position paper on the need for preparatory work in advance of a border poll, to begin now. Hopefully as we approach the election other political parties in Ireland will also set out their detailed plans to prepare for Irish unity.
Northern Ireland will have its next set of Assembly elections in 2027, local government elections in 2028 and we could see the next Westminster elections taking place in 2029. Sinn Féin was returned as the largest party in terms of number of seats in each of these three elections when they were held over the last couple of years. Northern Ireland was a region which was created specifically to have a permanent Unionist and Protestant majority. It now has neither, as Unionism holds a minority of seats following each of the three elections and the latest census shows that the North is a region of multiple minorities, where no religion holds a majority.
The full name of Taoiseach Simon Harris’ party is Fine Gael the United Ireland Party. We can hope that his party will continue to build on the positive words which former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said about Irish Unity. Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party will hopefully build on the foundation of the Shared Island Fund and create the preparations for the border poll which I believe will happen in the next decade. Sinn Féin have stated the importance of a United Ireland consistently. Whichever one of these three parties leads the next government, they need to bring reunification to life now, in advance of the referendum. There are multiple steps which can and should be taken to achieve this.
The next Taoiseach should set up a Department for Unity which reports directly to him or her. There should be several Senators appointed from Northern Ireland, to represent all parts of society in the region. One or more of these people should be involved in the Department for Unity as a Minister of State. This department should have three workstreams. Firstly it should engage with all communities across Ireland on the issue of reunification and reconciliation. Secondly it needs to prepare and plan in advance of the referendum, so that we know what we are voting for or against, when the poll is called. Thirdly it will be key that the Irish Government builds international support for unity across the globe. More than sixty countries have previously secured their independence from Britain. None have subsequently asked to rejoin Britain. There are also approximately eighty million Irish diaspora around the world. All of these countries and people can be energised by the prospect of Irish reunification.
The focus on an all-Ireland approach should be used to show the benefits of an economy, healthcare, transport and energy which is delivered seamlessly across the island. This can be part of how we show the benefits of a United Ireland before we have the vote to formally start the reunification process. The European Investment Bank should be encouraged to invest in the region prior to the border poll. There are some great EU funded programmes like Erasmus, Horizon and the EHIC health cards. All citizens in Northern Ireland should be able to access all EU funded schemes, in same way that citizens from any EU country can do so. The next Irish Government needs to continue to work with the NI Executive to look at ways in which inward investment can be attracted to the region. The work on ensuring a truly all-Ireland approach to tourism, such as extending the Wild Atlantic Way along the coast of Northern Ireland, needs to be further built on. When the Irish Government or its economic development agency IDA Ireland is seeking to attract investment, they should also promote investment in Northern Ireland. The cross-border barriers to studying at universities across Ireland need to be removed fully. We do not want our young people to feel they have to leave the island to get a higher education because the current bureaucracy to move from one state on the island to the other is too complex or too expensive. Of course people should be able to move around the world to study, work and travel. That is one of the many beauties of EU citizenship, that you can do these things across 27 countries with no restrictions. But what is truly heartbreaking, is the thought that our young people, the very essence of the future of our country, feel they have no option but to leave their homes, their families and their friends because they do not think they can succeed in Ireland or cannot get homes. These reluctant emigrants may never return and their potential, their hopes for the future and their desire to contribute to a wider and more diverse society here in Ireland, may be lost forever. But if citizens from NI do travel or work abroad, the Irish Government should be explicit in saying that citizens from the region can access Irish consular services, regardless of whether they actually have an Irish passport. The Good Friday Agreement was explicit that people from Northern Ireland can be Irish, British or both and so they should be treated that way by the Irish Government.
We know that the healthcare system in the North is under severe strain and efforts should be made to enable the region to leverage the full benefits of the EU in terms of citizens being able to access digital services in health and care. We know that housing is a challenge across all of Ireland. There is no single silver bullet which can solve this. It will take time, money and a strong focus by government to solve. An all-Ireland housing centre of excellence should be created which can look at modern methods of construction such as modular and offsite construction to build energy efficient homes which are good quality. An off-site construction factory could also be located at this centre of excellence. This could be built in a border region which has suffered so much due to partition. The expertise and learnings from this centre could then be shared across the island. The resolution to the housing crisis will require the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to work together. We know that both governments on the island own surplus public sector land. Where this is suitable for the necessary infrastructure and when it is located in areas where it is convenient for people to live, these sites could be identified for homes built using modern methods of construction by this factory. These homes could then be managed by the public sector, they could be gifted to housing associations or approved housing bodies, or a selection of them could be sold on the private market. The only restriction is that they cannot be used to increase the housing stock of commercial landlords.
The Irish Government should proactively show that all communities across Ireland have a stake in the country. There should be a conscious decision to include unionism in key issues. Just as civic society and business sectors were involved in Brexit forums, so civic unionism along with other parts of wider society can be asked for their thoughts on issues around all-Ireland healthcare, growing the economy, continuing to ensure Ireland’s food security, addressing the climate crisis and how we build a transport network which helps us on the path to net zero. There are all issues about how we ensure that the everyday experience of everyone who lives across this island gets better. We know that alongside far right agitators based at home and overseas, there are many people who have genuine concerns. These people need to be listened to, so that we can understand their concerns. The Irish Government and the EU have both said recently that they intend to confront the challenges caused by unregulated social media which is stoking unrest. But this is only part of the answer. We also need to ensure that every citizen knows that the Irish Government is focused on creating the conditions where everyone has access to good healthcare, good housing, can access education to enable them to compete and succeed in the workplace, as well as know that as a society we are safeguarding the environment of our precious island and its fertile land, lakes and rivers.
We are also due to have the next Irish Presidential election by late 2025. Citizens in Northern Ireland should be able to vote for the next Head of State in this election. Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced in March 2017 that there would be a referendum on citizens living outside the 26 counties being able to vote in Irish presidential elections, including those in Northern Ireland. This followed a recommendation by a Constitutional Convention in 2013. Yet here we are in 2024 with no progress on this crucial issue. There has been no consultation and no legislation passed to enable this to happen. Ireland is strong in part because of its diaspora across the globe. These are people who care deeply about Ireland and want to see the country and its citizens succeed. We should recognise this and give them a say in who will be our next President. If we want to build a United Ireland we need to start by giving all Irish citizens who live across all parts of Ireland equal voting rights. We know that our citizens in the past have suffered by being disenfranchised and we must as a matter of urgency address this.
Former President Mary McAleese did amazing work through her ‘Building Bridges’ initiative and we need the next president to take a similar approach. Unionism is having to confront a rapidly changing political landscape and the president can play a supportive and encouraging role to help unionists to adjust to this new reality. The President can also be seen as a champion of rights for all communities and all parts of Irish society. We can both face down the far right agitators and offer respect and hope for all citizens. The next president can use their status and their Council of State to adopt an inclusive approach to government. Representatives from all parts of society including unionism can be appointed to the Council of State. Áras an Uachtaráin can become a warm house for unionism, as it should be for all people who live across Ireland. We know that King Charles has stated his desire to visit all 32 counties of Ireland and the next Irish Government can continue the good work of this government and NI Executive ministers in meeting with the British Monarch and welcoming him to all parts of Ireland.
The symbolism of the President of Ireland welcoming all communities to the Áras, the British King meeting with citizens across Ireland are the key steps we need to take now. The question of what the flag will be or what will be the national anthem can wait until we are further along the reunification process. But ultimately people want to see and be assured that they have access to a good education, good healthcare, job prospects, that they are respected and have a voice in choosing the government of the day.
The recent Olympics have shown that athletes from across all parts of Ireland and every background can represent this island with pride and success. The next Irish Government should follow up on its recent commitment to fund investment in sports across the island. Many of our sports already operate on an all-Ireland basis and we know that greater involvement in sport leads to better physical and mental health outcomes.
There is a unique opportunity for the next Irish Government to have its Field of Dreams moment. Kevin Costner’s character knew that if he built it, they will come. Members of the Irish Government know that if they prepare now, implement an all-Ireland approach and allocate money from the new sovereign wealth fund for reunification, we can ensure a smooth transition to a New Ireland. There will be a democratic vote to confirm Irish unity but we can look forward with confidence, an increased understanding of what it means and the support of wider society if we take these steps now.
This article first appeared as a two part series on the website Irish Border Poll. You can read it here.
