New Ireland Commission chair Colum Eastwood has welcomed “serious commitments to advancing the case for unity” in the manifestos of the main parties contesting the Republic’s forthcoming election.
The former SDLP leader wrote to the leaders of the southern parties earlier this month urging each to make a pre-election commitment to constitutional change.
The Foyle MP’s letter cited remarks by former taoiseach Leo Varadkar in September, in which he said a united Ireland should be an “objective” and not just an “aspiration” for whoever is in charge after the next week’s poll.
He has described the various manifesto pledges as reflective of the “growing debate on the future of our island” and the “basis of common ground that can be translated into government action”.
Fine Gael, historically regarded as the southern party with the least enthusiasm for constitutional change, said it was “committed to unification as our objective”.
Simon Harris’s party says its “vision for Ireland embraces all identities, religions, and minorities”.
Fianna Fáil’s pledge to “the unity of all the Irish people within a shared state” sets out what the commission’s assessment describes as a “clear commitment” and a welcome response to its “key ask”.
The party’s manifesto refers to unity as a “fundamental goal”, adding that “one of Fianna Fáil’s most significant achievements” was its role in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations.
Sinn Féin’s commitment is “unambiguous”, the commission report says, with the party’s manifesto describing Irish unity as a “key objective in government”.
The assessment notes how Sinn Féin’s manifesto includes a pledge to hold parallel referendums north and south “before the end of the decade” but adds that this would also require the support of the British government.
Labour commits to “implementing a framework to prepare for change” and its manifesto argues that a border poll “could” be held in the next decade, while the Social Democrats say supporting unification will be an “important objective” if it is in government.
The commission welcomes the Greens’ commitment to work “towards a consensus in the future of our shared island” but notes that Roderic O’Gorman’s party “does not indicate that it will set out steps which specifically advocate for the reunification of the island”.
In summing up the commission’s response, Mr Eastwood said Irish unity was “the biggest and the boldest idea for how we fundamentally reorder our society” and that it was “too important to be tied to the electoral fortunes of one or two parties on their own”.
“That’s why I wrote to the leaders of southern parties before the Dáil was dissolved to seek their collective support for a pledge to approach unity as an objective of government rather than just an aspiration,” he said.
“I am glad that we’ve now seen the manifestos of the parties likely to be in the mix of government formation talks and that there are serious commitments to advancing the case for unity using the machinery of the Irish government - that’s a game changer.”
The Foyle MP welcomed the party’s responses on behalf of his party’s commission.
“This is a really exciting time and we look forward to engaging with parties during the process of government formation following the election next week,” he said.
