Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)

I thank the Opposition for tabling this motion. Commitment to the reunification of the country is a founding principle of the Government. The Government holds an aspiration for a united Ireland in common with the Opposition and, in the spirit of this debate, I underline the fact that we are not opposing this motion.

Every Irish Government must be guided by Article 3 of the Constitution, which states:

It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions, recognising that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island.

Article 3, however, demands more than just following the shortest distance between two points and racing toward constitutional change. The spirit of harmony and friendship that the Constitution speaks about, and its commitment to a unity that respects the diversity of the people of this island, are descriptions of our destination. They are also signposts for how we get there and they are not optional.

Twenty-seven years have passed, and the Good Friday Agreement remains absolutely central. It would be remiss of me not to take a moment to remember former Senator, Deputy and Minister of State, Martin Mansergh, who played a critical role in the negotiations relating to the Good Friday Agreement. The agreement absolutely is the blueprint for unlocking the full potential of our island and nation. Its implementation is the core of the Government’s policy across all three of its strands, namely our engagement with communities in Northern Ireland, the relationship between North and South and our relationship with Britain. The programme for Government states our position clearly. We are committed to the unity of the Irish people, and we believe that we will only achieve this through a sustained focus on and investment in reconciliation.

There have been criticisms of this Government, from the Opposition benches and elsewhere, because we have made reconciliation a precondition to a united Ireland. I want to be clear on this. When we say we are committed to the Good Friday Agreement, we mean just that. The agreement recognises the legitimacy of whatever choice is freely exercised by a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, whether that is to remain in the union or unify the island. If there is to be a Border poll, the constitutional future of the island will be decided by a majority vote, 50% plus one.

That was part of the agreement of 1998: the promise of an end to violence, replaced by a commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means to answer the constitutional question.

A perfectly reconciled society or island is not a precondition to constitutional change. However, we must do better than we have done in the 27 years since 1998 in achieving this. I fear to say that communities remain further apart than we hoped when the agreement was signed. The agreement did not pluck the goal of reconciliation out of the air. In the text, all parties to the agreement firmly dedicated themselves to the achievement of reconciliation. That requires work. It requires leadership from every part of society, from politicians like us, but also from educators and civic, church and sporting leaders. It requires generosity of spirit in dealing with those from different backgrounds than ourselves.

To be frank, I have seen a lot of this in my life because I come from the minority tradition in this jurisdiction and am the grandson of an Orangeman. I do not hide it. It is part of my identity. I must state on the record of this House that some of the language in recent weeks has been deeply troubling, particularly online from posters. Deputy Gould very eloquently talked about travelling to the North to play GAA in places like Crossmaglen. I remember going up to play rugby in the 1990s in east Belfast and in Ards, which had a very different atmosphere than Deputy Gould perhaps enjoyed. Some of the language has really brought me back to the era when I would walk down the street and be called “Orange scum” or a “West Brit”.

See this speech in context