Irish border now in its end days, says Sinn Fein leader, arguing vote on leaving UK should happen in next five years
The border that means Northern Ireland exists is now in its end days, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Her words came as she stated a vote on a united Ireland happen should before 2030 – and a senior party figure, North Belfast MP John Finucane, insisted nationalists need to start working towards a border poll right now and the Irish government should help them do it.
Speaking at an Easter Rising commemoration in Co Tyrone, Mrs McDonald stated that a united Ireland is “the next chapter of our nation’s story”.
“This is a time of great change,” she said. “We are living in the end days of partition as a new generation looks to the possibilities of unity with fresh hearts.
“The conversation is live, happening in real time. We must prepare for Unity referendums this decade.
"We have work to do. We must build alliances across all sections of society. We must drive positive, persuasive campaigns in every corner of this island. We must prepare to win these referendums and win them well.
"Our job now is to keep the momentum going, to expand the conversation, to convince even more people.”
Mr Finucane was at an Easter commemoration in Dublin, where he claimed a united Ireland is on the lips of people “across every county, every community, in living rooms, workplaces, universities and sports clubs” – and said it’s time to start building on that.
"Change is not just coming,” he said. “It’s already arrived”.
The North Belfast MP argued the answer to government cuts and financial hardship in Northern Ireland is to stage and win a border poll.
Admitting that a united Ireland “is not inevitable”, he told the crowd: “We must work for it, we must build it and we must win it.”
Mr Finucane stated the “onus is now on the Irish government to lead preparations” for referendums on the issue, adding that would create a space to build what he said would be “a new Ireland that truly belongs to everyone who lives here”.
Said the MP: “Let’s establish a Citizens’ Assembly. Let’s begin the planning — for healthcare, for housing, for education, for a new constitutional framework that protects every tradition on this island."