After Brexit, what are the prospects for a united Ireland? What would an agreed Ireland look like? What role could Irish folk in Britain play in this campaign? These are some of the questions posed by Sinn Féin and guests in London on Saturday (24 March). ‘After Brexit – the prospects for a united Ireland’ is one of a series of events organised by the party aimed to galvanising support across the water. Here are a few points made throughout the conference.

 

Key note addresses: Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill
Concluding remarks: Gerry Adams

On Mary Lou’s recent St Patrick’s Day visit to the US, she said Senator George Mitchell (Chair of the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement) remarked: “Life is change.” Ireland is changing too, she said. Political dialogue on the island is no longer between orange and green, but also the red of the Irish language lobby and colours of the rainbow in favour of same-sex marriage. Uniting Ireland, she said, “can’t be a crude exercise of stitching north to south” and reconciliation is as much about the future as the past.

The DUP-Conservative Party pact at Westminster means unionism is supporting Brexit come what may. That some MPs are prepared to bin the Good Friday Agreement in pursuit of Brexit is unacceptable. “It is not their agreement to bin,” she said. “It is a not a bargaining chip in a negotiation. These issues need resolved now.” Concluding her address, she said: “The denial of democracy of the vote in the North to remain demonstrates the reality of the union. It has reenergised the United Ireland debate.”

Michelle O’Neill said republicans have often found themselves talking to themselves, but we are entering a new political era. During the conference, guest speaker Professor Peter Shirlow (Director and Chair of the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool) described the Good Friday Agreement as “the people’s agreement”; as we move closer to Brexit, more unionists will question it and their own situation. Irish unity is firmly on the agenda, and this conference shows the debate can be respectful. The onus is on all those who want a united Ireland to shape that change.

Later, in closing remarks, Gerry Adams marked one year since Martin McGuinness’s death. He said one of McGuinness’s greatest achievements was steering the peaceful strategy towards a united Ireland. Sinn Féin must persuade unionists to share their vision for an agreed Ireland.

 

Panel discussion: What would an agreed Ireland look like?

Patricia McBride (political analyst and commentator) referred to the Scottish independence referendum of 2012 when lots of people who voted ‘No’ were afraid to “jump into the dark.” Just like you need an architect to build a house, she said, Irish people need to be assured that a united Ireland can be a success.

Peter Shirlow said the main reason why the Good Friday Agreement has worked is not because of politicians, but because people on the ground have brought it forward. Sinn Féin are engaged in dialogue with the unionist community, he’d encourage unionists to do this with nationalists. He also suggested that too much of republican discourse thinks that unionists who were pro-Remain in the Brexit referendum are going to change their stance around a united Ireland. The more liberal you are in the unionist community the less likely you are to vote – but if there was a border poll, you could come out to vote against it. One thing we’re not great at in our society, he said, is listening; the role for those who want to see a united Ireland is to listen.

Matt Carthy MEP said Sinn Féin is often asked why they opposed the Lisbon and other EU treaties in the past; they did so because they were bad for Ireland, just as Brexit was bad for Ireland. The campaign for Irish unity isn’t one which people in London can sit and watch.

 

Panel discussion: Building a campaign for Irish unity in Britain – the missing piece in the peace process

Geoff Bell (writer and activist) said a united Ireland makes logical sense and the tide of history is moving in its favour, but these factors have existed for some time. With Brexit Ireland the future of Ireland is being debated more than ever – there needs to be an organisational framework in Britain that will advocate a united Ireland. It needs to “educate, agitate, organise.”

Professor Mary Hickman (Chair, Votes for Irish Citizens’ Abroad campaign) said that the questions around what kind of Ireland Sinn Féin wants are just as important as the question of a united Ireland. Many in the Irish Republic have become politicised by single issue in recent years such as with same-sex marriage and diaspora votes in presidential elections. These provide another way for re-imagining Ireland.

Kevin Meagher (author of A United Ireland: Why Unification is Inevitable and How it will Come About) said Irish unity is a question of when, not if – “it’s political physics.” In last year’s Assembly elections, fewer than 1,200 first preference votes separated the DUP and Sinn Féin; it’s not just votes, long-term population changes will have a role to play. With Brexit, Irish media on both sides of the border are full of chatter and the concept of Irish unity has become normalised. The Good Friday Agreement, he continued, says there is “one door out” – the choreography and framework for unity is already there. Not only should British parties make a manifesto commitment to allow a border poll in the next five years, they should also work closely with parties in Ireland to look at the practicalities of Irish unity. Both sides have their heads in the sand, galvanising the Irish in Britain is important. “It’s game on.”

Also published on Medium.