Irish government to assess potential for united Ireland

The Irish government plans to set up a government body that would assess the possibility of a united Ireland.

Prime Minister Micheal Martin told The Irish Times in an interview published on Friday that Dublin will, for the first time, research and prepare for a union with British-run Northern Ireland.

Martin said that the body would be tasked to research models and challenges for various potential outcomes, including Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom or maintaining some autonomy as part of a united Ireland.

Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, which put an end to decades of conflict, the British government is obliged to call a referendum on Irish unity – or “border poll” – if it appears likely that a majority of Northern Irish voters would back it.

“What has concerned me about this push for a border poll since Brexit is that it’s partisan, it’s a one-sided advocacy approach,” Martin told The Irish Times.

“It’s sort of putting forward the idea that this would be easy and that it’s inevitable and our time has come. And it’s almost that this would be a victory for nationalism, as opposed to an approach which genuinely seeks to hear all voices.”

While opinion polls consistently suggest a majority in favour of remaining in the United Kingdom, the gap has narrowed since the UK voted to leave the European Union a decade ago, with Irish nationalist parties like Sinn Fein stepping up calls for a referendum.

Martin’s proposal, the first steps of which he said he would bring to cabinet before the end of the year, is the latest move by government parties south of the border to consider what a united Ireland might look like.

His government partner Fine Gael is expected to publish what it has described as a blueprint for a unified island at its annual conference next week.