Deeply disappointing to see Taoiseach’s dismissal of calls to prepare for a unity referendum – Bacik
Deeply disappointing to see Taoiseach’s dismissal of calls to prepare for a unity referendum - Bacik - The Labour Party
Responding to recent interventions on the prospects for constitutional change on the island of Ireland, Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has urged all supporters of reunification to engage now in taking necessary steps in preparation for a referendum on unity, saying:
“President Trump is no stranger tomaking hasty interventions into the affairs of another country. The Labour Party has strongly condemned Trump’s many appalling policies at home and abroad, and their disastrous impacts for the people of Palestine, for peace in the Middle East, for climate action and for the international rule of law.
“Nonetheless, as Connollyite republicans, we recognise that Trump’s intervention on the unity question does mark a renewed and welcome focus upon the need for the Irish Government to take preparatory steps towards the holding of a unity referendum.
“Trump’s comments in favour of unity were made following British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s very different comments last week rejecting any move towards reunification. Following these interventions, those of us who support the movement towards a united Ireland need to work togetherto see this delivered in a way that delivers equality and preserves peace on this island in keeping with the core principles of the Good Friday Agreement.
“Those of us who care for the people living on both sides of the border must ramp up preparations for the inevitable referendum on unity – both to ensure that it passes, and to embrace the opportunity to replace the status quo with a truly equal republic based on the principle of consent.
“In this context, I was particularly disappointed to hear the Taoiseach’s failure to set out any plans to take preparatory steps towards a unity referendum, when he was given the opportunity to do so this morning on RTÉ Radio One.
“As momentum builds for theprospect of a referendum on Irish unity, we in Labour restate our commitment to developing a real republic across the island of Ireland. That is one which values equality over semantics. Ending poverty and embracing pluralism should be the prize for republicans, not merely swapping the majoritarianism of the past for a new one.
“As we see xenophobia and violence bedding into political systems around the world, we must give nativism no place in the campaign for unity.
“The carnage caused by Brexit in Britain, and by Trump’s form of creeping fascism in America, should drive all democrats here to reject any involvement of paramilitary organisations or the far right in the future composition of our country. Political vacuums cannot form for them to exploit. The debate on a united Ireland belongs to citizens, and not to Irish crypto-Trumps or proto-Farages.
“Labour has a position paper on achieving a united Ireland, democratically adopted at our annual Conference. While unequivocally supporting the Good Friday Agreement, we recognise that we must also seek to reflect the changed political landscape that we now have, nearly three decades on.
“Preparations for unity referendum or referendums must be robust and inclusive. We in Labour believe that in advance of holding any such vote, an all-island citizens’ assembly – or assemblies – must be constituted, and the old Green and White Paper tradition renewed.
“As part of that process, Labour will advocate strongly for a united Ireland, based on the principles of social democracy, feminism, tolerance and equality. Uniting this island without fundamentally challenging the ways in which our existing political systems leave people on the margins would be disastrous.
“It is widely acknowledged that we now stand on the precipice of opportunity when it comes to a united Ireland. To fail to plan for that referendum – and what comes after it – is to squander that great opportunity, to fail future generations and those which came before us. I challenge the Taoiseach to grasp that opportunity now. When it comes to these difficult issues, like unity, political inertia only paves the way for extreme voices to frame the debate.”
ENDS
https://labour.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Uniting-Ireland-Labour-Party-Position-Paper-2024-1.pdf