Sinn Féin TD says next government should 'prepare responsibly' for United Ireland

Michael Bolton

A Sinn Féin TD has said there should be a citizens' assembly set up by the next government to discuss a united Ireland.

Donegal TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn was speaking on the prospect of Irish unity ahead of the general election on November 29th.

Back in September, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said every party running in the next general election should make manifesto pledges that Irish unification is “an objective, not an aspiration”.

Speaking to Breakingnews.ie, Mr Mac Lochlainn said a citizens' assembly should be created by the next government to examine key aspects of a united Ireland.

"The issue for me is that the demographics are clear in the north of Ireland, the pathway is inevitable here, so we need to prepare responsibly.

"I don't want to be triumphal about that and say in 10 years' time, we will have more nationalists than unionists, and we are going to win the vote. That is not a responsible way to proceed.

"We need to now have a citizens' assembly looking at a number of different areas, like what type of health service we would have in a new Ireland.

"What protection can we give to unionists in a United Ireland? What type of economy, what sort of defence strategy would we have? There are all sorts of questions that are presented.

"I don't want it to be like Brexit. I don't want it to be a cliff edge vote that throws the whole place into crisis, as we have seen in Britain. Absolute upheaval that they have faced over there.

"I think we have the breathing space now to prepare responsibly, so people are very clear what they are voting for when the time comes."

Speaking on the Occupied Territories Bill, Mr Mac Lochlainn criticised the Government for not implementing the bill before the general election.

The Occupied Territories Bill seeks to ban trade with illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law.

The Bill went through the Dáil five years ago, but was dropped for the 2020 Programme for Government.

Mr Mac Lochlainn has doubts whether Fianna Fáil and the Green Party wanted to implement the bill.

"I am not convinced, despite the claims of Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, that they want to pass the legislation.

"This is about not doing commerce with war criminals, yet we cannot bring sanctions and laws in that regard. I actually think it is shameful it wasn't done, but certainly shameful considering what has happened in Gaza.

"When it came to South Africa back in the day and the apartheid regime there, Ireland led the way. It started with workers in Dunnes Stores, who wouldn't handle fruit from South Africa. It worked its way through society until the government took a stand.

"We actually led the way back then in the 1980s. Why can't we do it now?"