by Ben Collins
The announcement by Simon Harris that Fine Gael will publish a blueprint for Irish Unity this November is a welcome development. We need to build as broad a coalition as possible for reunification and Fine Gael. The United Ireland Party, to give it its full name, has an important role within this. We need to plan and prepare before a border poll, to avoid the chaos of Brexit. This process will also help to ensure that we can address concerns about reunification and to maximise the benefits, as I set out in my book The Irish Unity Dividend.
I believe that Fine Gael can reach parts of the Northern Ireland electorate that other parties cannot. They have a strong reputation on law and order, as well as historically being seen to be most sympathetic to Unionism and British culture of any party in the Irish Republic. From their inception as a party created shortly after partition, they received the support of those in the South who were previously Unionists or came from Unionist backgrounds. As a centre-right pro-business party, they also have a unique appeal to the business community. Simon Harris has previously stated that security will be a key focus during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU. This is another area where their focus can help to bring those from a unionist background into supporting the unity project. We have seen Unionist politicians from Northern Ireland and British politicians questioning Ireland’s defence capability. This is important as seventy-five per cent of Europe’s subsea cables go through Ireland’s exclusive economic zone. So Fine Gael’s focus on security and their now announced commitment to planning for Irish Unity are positive.
Fine Gael’s active planning for Irish Unity makes it more likely in the medium term which is a positive development. It is only through integrating services across this island and removing the many social, political and economic barriers on this island, can we truly achieve Ireland’s full potential. In recent days we have seen people trying to use the attack in North Belfast and following civil unrest as a reason to reintroduce a hard border on the island of Ireland. That is not the answer. We need to provide people with hope for the future by enabling an environment for peace and prosperity.
There are genuine concerns about immigration. The best way in which we can address these is through taking an all-Ireland approach to immigration, using our sea and airports to manage immigration, rather than attempting to operate two different approaches on one small island. Immigration is a good thing but we need to ensure that we have sufficient housing for everyone who lives across Ireland. The best way in which we can deliver much needed new housing is through a fully co-ordinated approach where planning, construction and investment in infrastructure is all done on an all-Ireland basis. I previously met with Fine Gael’s Northern Ireland Engagement Group when I was Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations. We were able to talk with them about the work we were doing with social housing tenants to increase their skills through a cross-border training programme funded by the Special EU Programmes Body. While EU funded programmes are brilliant, the approved housing bodies cannot work seamlessly across the island, due to regulatory restraints. This needs to change and the best way to ensure this happens is by removing the cause of friction and barriers, i.e. the border in Ireland. Immigrants also play a crucial role in our public services and we need to maintain a welcoming environment for them. The pressure on public services will not be helped by reducing the number of immigrants who play a crucial role in delivering healthcare. We need to increase investment in our public services and reduce unnecessary duplication across Ireland.
This announcement by Fine Gael shows that the momentum for constitutional change is accelerating and the responsible approach is to acknowledge this and urgently begin the work of preparation for the forthcoming border poll. It does no-one any good to adopt an ostrich approach and refuse to engage on the subject. Fine Gael’s decision is therefore a positive and responsible step. It is reckless not to prepare. We can hope that all of the major political parties across Ireland will engage with the planning process. Sinn Féin also intend to bring forward their own initiative on planning shortly which is another positive step. Irish Unity does not belong to any individual party. It belongs to all of us as citizens who live across this island and the millions of Irish citizens who live around the world. The diaspora must also be involved in this planning process.
There is much geopolitical turbulence at present and in Ireland we have the chance to anchor our island fully in the safe harbour of the European Union. Fine Gael as a committed pro-European party can help to smooth this process. The European Single Market is the largest single economic bloc in the world and the EU is the most successful peace process that the continent of Europe has ever seen. There are multiple countries which are now actively considering joining the EU. We are fortunate that Northern Ireland will not have to go through any accession process, we just have to vote to reunite our country and we will automatically become part of a full EU member state again.
While civic unionism is already engaging on the topic of Irish unity, political unionism is largely refusing to do so. That is their right but the planning for reunification must begin now. There is no such thing as a kinder gentler form of partition. We can maximise the benefits by going for a fully integrated form of governance in a new Ireland, which brings Unionism into the Irish political mainstream. Unionist politicians will have a much greater influence in an all-Ireland Oireachtas than they will ever have in Westminster. No Unionist MP from Northern Ireland has been part of the British Cabinet since the Second World War. That is eighty years outside the corridors of power. In an all-Ireland political set-up Unionist politicians will have greater say and could, if they choose to do, play an important role in an Irish Government. The rights of our Unionist brothers and sisters will be protected by the Good Friday Agreement and Ireland’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights. They will be able to keep their British citizenship and King Charles III and his successors will continue to be a welcome guest in Ireland and a valued neighbour.
There is likely to be significant change in Britian in the coming years as Scotland and in due course Wales, move towards independence. Also we currently can envisage an English Nationalist government in Westminster led by Reform, perhaps in coalition with the Conservatives. Irish unity will lessen the friction across these islands. Ireland will be able to take decisions without British interference on this island. Similarly Britain will be able to pursue their preferred form of Brexit without having to accommodate the requirements necessary due to the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland. Fine Gael has historically been close to the Conservatives, who were a sister party in the same European Parliament group, prior to Brexit. When Enda Kenny became Taoiseach his first visit to a foreign leader was to David Cameron in London. Irish Unity cannot be seen as solely a Sinn Féin project and this announcement by Fine Gael can help to build a broad coalition, as we move towards a likely border poll. Depending on circumstances such as Nigel Farage becoming British Prime Minister, I think these referendums are likely to happen in the next decade and could occur by 2030. We do not have the luxury of prevarication. We must begin preparation now.
In a world where there is much negativity and not just thanks to the toxicity caused by social media, Irish Unity will provide a beacon of hope across the world. It will be a development welcomed on every continent. Ultimately it will lead to a better quality of life for everyone who lives across Ireland. We can bring peace and prosperity to every part of Ireland, renew our political structures, enable reconciliation across all communities and build a resilient island to thrive through the 21st century and beyond.
Ben Collins is the author of The Irish Unity Dividend and Irish Unity: Time to Prepare, both published by Luath Press and available online to buy from all good bookshops
by Ben Collins
The announcement by Simon Harris that Fine Gael will publish a blueprint for Irish Unity this November is a welcome development. We need to build as broad a coalition as possible for reunification and Fine Gael. The United Ireland Party, to give it its full name, has an important role within this. We need to plan and prepare before a border poll, to avoid the chaos of Brexit. This process will also help to ensure that we can address concerns about reunification and to maximise the benefits, as I set out in my book The Irish Unity Dividend.
I believe that Fine Gael can reach parts of the Northern Ireland electorate that other parties cannot. They have a strong reputation on law and order, as well as historically being seen to be most sympathetic to Unionism and British culture of any party in the Irish Republic. From their inception as a party created shortly after partition, they received the support of those in the South who were previously Unionists or came from Unionist backgrounds. As a centre-right pro-business party, they also have a unique appeal to the business community. Simon Harris has previously stated that security will be a key focus during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU. This is another area where their focus can help to bring those from a unionist background into supporting the unity project. We have seen Unionist politicians from Northern Ireland and British politicians questioning Ireland’s defence capability. This is important as seventy-five per cent of Europe’s subsea cables go through Ireland’s exclusive economic zone. So Fine Gael’s focus on security and their now announced commitment to planning for Irish Unity are positive.
Fine Gael’s active planning for Irish Unity makes it more likely in the medium term which is a positive development. It is only through integrating services across this island and removing the many social, political and economic barriers on this island, can we truly achieve Ireland’s full potential. In recent days we have seen people trying to use the attack in North Belfast and following civil unrest as a reason to reintroduce a hard border on the island of Ireland. That is not the answer. We need to provide people with hope for the future by enabling an environment for peace and prosperity.
There are genuine concerns about immigration. The best way in which we can address these is through taking an all-Ireland approach to immigration, using our sea and airports to manage immigration, rather than attempting to operate two different approaches on one small island. Immigration is a good thing but we need to ensure that we have sufficient housing for everyone who lives across Ireland. The best way in which we can deliver much needed new housing is through a fully co-ordinated approach where planning, construction and investment in infrastructure is all done on an all-Ireland basis. I previously met with Fine Gael’s Northern Ireland Engagement Group when I was Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations. We were able to talk with them about the work we were doing with social housing tenants to increase their skills through a cross-border training programme funded by the Special EU Programmes Body. While EU funded programmes are brilliant, the approved housing bodies cannot work seamlessly across the island, due to regulatory restraints. This needs to change and the best way to ensure this happens is by removing the cause of friction and barriers, i.e. the border in Ireland. Immigrants also play a crucial role in our public services and we need to maintain a welcoming environment for them. The pressure on public services will not be helped by reducing the number of immigrants who play a crucial role in delivering healthcare. We need to increase investment in our public services and reduce unnecessary duplication across Ireland.
This announcement by Fine Gael shows that the momentum for constitutional change is accelerating and the responsible approach is to acknowledge this and urgently begin the work of preparation for the forthcoming border poll. It does no-one any good to adopt an ostrich approach and refuse to engage on the subject. Fine Gael’s decision is therefore a positive and responsible step. It is reckless not to prepare. We can hope that all of the major political parties across Ireland will engage with the planning process. Sinn Féin also intend to bring forward their own initiative on planning shortly which is another positive step. Irish Unity does not belong to any individual party. It belongs to all of us as citizens who live across this island and the millions of Irish citizens who live around the world. The diaspora must also be involved in this planning process.
There is much geopolitical turbulence at present and in Ireland we have the chance to anchor our island fully in the safe harbour of the European Union. Fine Gael as a committed pro-European party can help to smooth this process. The European Single Market is the largest single economic bloc in the world and the EU is the most successful peace process that the continent of Europe has ever seen. There are multiple countries which are now actively considering joining the EU. We are fortunate that Northern Ireland will not have to go through any accession process, we just have to vote to reunite our country and we will automatically become part of a full EU member state again.
While civic unionism is already engaging on the topic of Irish unity, political unionism is largely refusing to do so. That is their right but the planning for reunification must begin now. There is no such thing as a kinder gentler form of partition. We can maximise the benefits by going for a fully integrated form of governance in a new Ireland, which brings Unionism into the Irish political mainstream. Unionist politicians will have a much greater influence in an all-Ireland Oireachtas than they will ever have in Westminster. No Unionist MP from Northern Ireland has been part of the British Cabinet since the Second World War. That is eighty years outside the corridors of power. In an all-Ireland political set-up Unionist politicians will have greater say and could, if they choose to do, play an important role in an Irish Government. The rights of our Unionist brothers and sisters will be protected by the Good Friday Agreement and Ireland’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights. They will be able to keep their British citizenship and King Charles III and his successors will continue to be a welcome guest in Ireland and a valued neighbour.
There is likely to be significant change in Britian in the coming years as Scotland and in due course Wales, move towards independence. Also we currently can envisage an English Nationalist government in Westminster led by Reform, perhaps in coalition with the Conservatives. Irish unity will lessen the friction across these islands. Ireland will be able to take decisions without British interference on this island. Similarly Britain will be able to pursue their preferred form of Brexit without having to accommodate the requirements necessary due to the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland. Fine Gael has historically been close to the Conservatives, who were a sister party in the same European Parliament group, prior to Brexit. When Enda Kenny became Taoiseach his first visit to a foreign leader was to David Cameron in London. Irish Unity cannot be seen as solely a Sinn Féin project and this announcement by Fine Gael can help to build a broad coalition, as we move towards a likely border poll. Depending on circumstances such as Nigel Farage becoming British Prime Minister, I think these referendums are likely to happen in the next decade and could occur by 2030. We do not have the luxury of prevarication. We must begin preparation now.
In a world where there is much negativity and not just thanks to the toxicity caused by social media, Irish Unity will provide a beacon of hope across the world. It will be a development welcomed on every continent. Ultimately it will lead to a better quality of life for everyone who lives across Ireland. We can bring peace and prosperity to every part of Ireland, renew our political structures, enable reconciliation across all communities and build a resilient island to thrive through the 21st century and beyond.
Ben Collins is the author of The Irish Unity Dividend and Irish Unity: Time to Prepare, both published by Luath Press and available online to buy from all good bookshops