By Dáire Hughes
The discussion on Ireland’s constitutional future is at an excitingly high level. We are seeing an almost daily intervention about Irish unity, from a variety of backgrounds, as the debate and discussion grows. Whilst this debate is rightly centred on the island of Ireland, international actors remain important. We know that Irish unity provides an automatic path back to membership of the European Union for the north and we know that the Irish diaspora in the United States, across Europe and further afield are energised by the unity debate.
Britain remains an essential forum for the expansion of the unity debate. In recent years a general ignorance or indifference in relation to Ireland has existed within the British political establishment. This was evidenced throughout the Brexit process as Irish concerns were relegated and all too often dismissed entirely. We saw regular commentary on the border dividing Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement being both ill-informed and detached.
As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the British government must be reminded of their responsibilities in relation to the north and held to account for the same. That includes their responsibilities in relation to the provision for unity referendums contained therein. It remains the obligation of the British government to call a referendum on Irish unity when it appears likely that the voting public will choose to upend the status quo. It is the job of Sinn Féin’s MPs to make the case for Irish unity in Britain.
It is our job to engage with our diaspora, influence discussion wherever we can and increase awareness of the specifics of the Good Friday Agreement and future unity referendums. In our first engagement in London after the Westminster election, we met with members of Plaid Cymru and the SNP and committed to working together on issues of common ground, including self-determination. We also held a public meeting with the Irish diaspora in London. Despite being organised at short notice, the room was packed with people from many walks of life and the priority topic of conversation was Irish unity.
Recent developments point to a radical shifting of the political dial. Not only has political unionism lost its electoral majority, but Sinn Féin also has emerged as the largest party in the north. Sinn Féin now holds the largest number of seats in local government, in the Assembly and at Westminster. With unionism’s electoral majority gone, Sinn Féin on the rise and a significant cohort of the north’s electorate open to persuasion on the constitutional future of the island, preparation for a referendum on Irish unity is considerably overdue.
We know Irish unity can unlock our economic, social and cultural potential. We know that an increasing number of people in the north are openly considering their constitutional preference, and we know that raising the consciousness of Irish issues and Irish unity in Britain is an essential part of moving towards securing, and winning, unity referendums in the time ahead.
Dáire Hughes is a Sinn Féin MP for Newry and Armagh
