Irish unification referendum by 2030, Sinn Fein leader tells Sky News
Irish unification referendum by 2030, Sinn Fein leader tells Sky News
Mary Lou McDonald had previously said unification was within "touching distance" after the return of power-sharing government to Northern Ireland, led by her Sinn Fein colleague Michelle O'Neill. But she acknowledges there is "an awful lot of work to be done".
Mary Lou McDonald had previously said unification was within "touching distance" after the return of power-sharing government to Northern Ireland, led by her Sinn Fein colleague Michelle O'Neill. But she acknowledges there is "an awful lot of work to be done".
Mary Lou McDonald was speaking to Sky News following the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive, where her party - a nationalist group - is now the largest caucus in Belfast for the first time since the Good Friday Agreement came into effect.
She said: "What I firmly believe is - in this decade - we will have those referendums, and it's my job and the job of people like me who believe in reunification to convince, to win hearts and minds and to convince people of that opportunity - part of which, by the way, will be really consolidating our relationship with Britain as our next door neighbour and good friend."
Asked if she meant before 2030, Ms McDonald said "yes".
May as well, if it means rejoining the EU following the disaster that was Brexit.
The entire Ireland is in the EU already. Northern Ireland can access the single market without checks. The checks are between Ireland and GB.
They are still part of a country that's not within the EU. Even living in Ireland it's sometimes a major pain to do anything in the UK. (Ordering stuff, returns, etc..) I can imagine it's turned up to 11 in NI.
My God, right again. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Irish_Unification_of_2024
Sinn Fein is running six years behind schedule. 😡
We’re due for the Bell Riots this year, too
Beat me to it by two goddamn minutes, lol 🖖🏻
According to Data on Star Trek TNG, reunification is scheduled for this year.
I welcome the bell riots with open arms
fades, their arms wide
Hey I called this the other day.
You can really blame brexit for this, which means, you can really blame Russia.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Mary Lou McDonald was speaking to Sky News following the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive, where her party - a nationalist group - is now the largest caucus in Belfast for the first time since the Good Friday Agreement came into effect.
She said: "What I firmly believe is - in this decade - we will have those referendums, and it's my job and the job of people like me who believe in reunification to convince, to win hearts and minds and to convince people of that opportunity - part of which, by the way, will be really consolidating our relationship with Britain as our next door neighbour and good friend."
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, there is a pathway for a reunification poll to be held in Northern Ireland.
According to the Institute For Government, there is no parallel mechanism in the Good Friday Agreement for a referendum in the Republic of Ireland, where Ms McDonald is a politician.
Asked about her previous comments that unity is within touching distance, the Sinn Fein president said she was talking in "historic terms".
"They need to give it a structure and a place and of course it has to be inclusive - we want to hear from every voice, including those for whom reunification would not be their first option - those who go out and campaign for the union."
The original article contains 526 words, the summary contains 233 words. Saved 56%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Reunification is an insane idea that the moment. No need to risk the violence of the past for nationalist dreams.
Why can't the religious zealots put aside their bullshit for just a moment? Or does the king just deserve a chunk of Ireland for eternity?
when does it end if not now?
What does it achieve to unify now? A sizeable portion of the population actively opposes it, and besides that the Northern Irish economy is largely dependent on the British government, meaning that there would be significant cost to the Irish state were they to begin managing the north counties. They chose a century ago to remain in the UK and despite an almost complete lack of acknowledgment from the general British population fiercely defend that decision. It’s about more than just religion, though that can be a common grouping of the different factions.
I don't see why now is any worse than any other point in time, frankly.
NI has a legal right to unify with the rest of Ireland if it is voted for in a referendum, under the good Friday agreement. So being able to reunify whenever they decide to is actually one of the key agreements that ended the violence in the past.
Except the question is pretty valid now post Brexit. I wouldn't even be surprised if GB goes along with it as NI seems to be a lot more trouble than it is worth; a unified Ireland solves the trilemma.
We should adhere to the demands of violent mobs and not the consensus of the democratic process. You are right.
Mate they made Northern Ireland in an election