Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The conversation is happening. Certainly, as Taoiseach and Head of Government, I want to be part of it. It is a particularly sensitive time. Like the former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, said the other day, I would much rather be talking about these matters in the context of a Westminster Framework that is done with an assembly and Executive that is up and running and functioning. It would potentially be provocative at this time, or it may be misrepresented by some rather than being provocative. Perhaps a citizens' assembly would be the mechanism to do it, but it is not the only one. There are potential other models. It is something we should talk about, however. We should talk about all the parties on the island. If it was suddenly announced and we found that the unionist parties and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland said it was a bad idea, it would be kind of dead on day one. It would be a pan-nationalist citizens' assembly, and that is the last thing we need. We would need to tread carefully when it comes to these things, but not run away from them.