Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has warned that the issue of Irish unity is "not going away, you know", as she tabled a Bill requiring a Green Paper on Irish unity within 18 months and the convening of a Citizens' Assembly. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, however, dismissed the Planning for Constitutional Change Bill as "not credible" and said it would "do little to achieve its objective".
Bill Faces Government Opposition
The Irish Government is set to oppose the Bill in a vote scheduled for Wednesday, which Sinn Féin has described as a "political test" for the coalition parties. Tánaiste Simon Harris said he did not doubt the "bona fides" of Ms McDonald and her party, but argued that constitutional change "cannot be driven by deadlines or arbitrary timelines".
Ms McDonald, speaking in the Dáil with former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in the public gallery, said reunification was about "seizing the moment and the opportunity to create a new deal for the people of Ireland, for every person on this island, a new deal for Protestants and unionists, which protects their British identity". She added that the government was "grossly and vastly underestimating where people are at on this issue".
Martin Criticises 'One More Push' Approach
Mr Martin told TDs that the Bill took an approach "which has failed repeatedly over the past 100 years". He called for openness about "the scale of the obstacles to overcome" and warned that "a policy of 'one more push' and hoping for an unpopular government in London will achieve nothing". He questioned the credibility of completing analysis on the economy, education, health, and other systems within 18 months.
Sinn Féin's chief whip accused Mr Martin of being "no Albert Reynolds and no Bertie Ahern", while TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire said it was "reckless" that the government was taking "no positive action" to plan for unity. He asked: "This is the vehicle we have put forward for planning and preparing for constitutional change, where is yours?"
Internal Party Divisions Emerge
Fianna Fáil TD Pat "the Cope" Gallagher indicated he would support the Bill if given a free vote, saying "a lot" of his colleagues felt the same way. Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said a vote against the Bill would send a "really negative message" and "really set back the project of our nationhood". She also noted that she did not expect any difference under a potential Andy Burnham premiership, calling it her "seventh prime minister in 10 years" and highlighting "the chaos of Westminster".
