Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

The reality of unity, an end to division and the possibility of a united Ireland is very much part of the political conversation on this island now more than ever. It has been a focus point of discussion during the ongoing presidential election, even more so than when Martin McGuinness was running in 2011. It has moved beyond the hypothetical and people are now discussing what kind of Ireland it could and should be. Unfortunately, we do not have that level of discussion at a political level. That is one of the main points we are making here tonight. The only people who do not realise that we need to have this conversation are the people sitting on the benches across from us. One of the parties calls itself “The Republican Party” and the other is the “United Ireland Party”, yet the impression from a lot of people who are having this discussion is that they do not want to talk about it. Certain Members do, former Members do, other individuals do and so on, but there is a reluctance coming from the Government benches. For a lot of people, they just do not understand what that is about.

The Good Friday Agreement committee in the previous Dáil recommended that a designated Oireachtas committee and Government Department should be tasked with taking responsibility for planning and preparing for constitutional change. This was a recommendation from all parties, yet it seems that those parties involved in government did not take that up. It was a missed opportunity. If we are serious about this issue, we need to come together and work our way forward collectively. People do not want to wake up in the morning with the idea that we have made a decision. What did we make a decision on? Vote yes or vote no. We need have the conversation on what exactly they are voting for and agreeing to.

See this speech in context