Sinn Féin to counter bid to sideline Irish unity

Sinn Féin has warned the 26 County government not to put its head in the sand on Irish reunification after Tánaiste Simon Harris declared that Irish unity is not a priority for him.

Speaking after an official visit to Belfast following the return of his party into a coalition government in Dublin, Mr Harris said Irish unity “is not where my priority is today” and he doesn’t expect a border poll to happen during the term of the current Irish government.

Before the general election in November, his party had set Irish unity as “an objective” and not just an aspiration.

But the the Fine Gael leader has appeared to row back on that. He said there has never been an “Irish head or deputy head who hasn’t aspired to a united Ireland but that is not where my priority is today”.

He added: “It is not where my priority is in my role as Tánaiste”.

“My priority is in making sure the Irish government as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement plays a constructive role in ensuring all the institutions work to their full potential”, he said.

Sinn Féin had called on the new Dublin government to begin planning for a ‘border poll’ referendum on unity which the party has predicted will be held before 2030.

Asked if he expected to see a poll in the next five years the Tánaiste said “it is not my expectation”.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Matt Carthy (pictured), described the comment as deeply disappointing and that any attempts by the government to push the demand for Irish Unity further down the road would be strongly challenged by Sinn Féin.

“Irish Unity isn’t something that can be dismissed in this way. This has to be a priority for the Irish government,” he said.

“Sinn Féin will not accept a position from the Irish Government that seeks to push Irish Unity down the road. Put simply, the people of Ireland have waited for long enough.

“Simon Harris spoke about the Irish Government being a co guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. He needs to understand what that actually means.

“As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish government has a responsibility to ensure that the promises of that agreement when it comes to a poll on Irish Unity is respected and realised.

“The process of moving a United Ireland from an aspiration to a reality must start now. It’s now time to start planning for Irish Unity and the Irish Government must use its position to ensure that a referendum on Irish Unity is held by the end of the decade.

“An artificial border drawn more than one hundred years ago is holding us back as a country. It is holding us back from achieving our full potential – our potential to be a better, fairer, stronger country. This government needs to understand that it is time to start the work of planning and preparing to make this a reality.”

Urgent Appeal