As the dust settles on the General Election, the dramatic shift in politics in the 26 counties comes more visible.
While Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in the driving seat as regards government formation the fact is that the last two Dáil elections have irrevocably transformed the political landscape in the south. All is changed, changed utterly.
The election confirmed that the rise in support for Sinn Féin, most dramatically expressed in the 2020 election, is not a flash in the pan.
Our vote did not hit the heights of four years ago. We didn’t end up in pole position to form the next government.
However, the long-term success and progress is clear. November’s election cemented that Sinn Féin is now a significant and potent political force in the south.
On Wednesday, the largest number of Sinn Féin TDs in over a century will take our seats in Leinster House.
The days of the same two parties controlling both government and opposition are gone for good.
The only way Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael can now govern is by governing together. Clearly, Michéal Martin is intent on putting Fine Gael back into government and carrying on where they left off before the election.
He refuses to talk to Sinn Féin, the second largest party in the Dáil, looking down on the more than 400,000 people who voted for us two weeks ago.
It’s not lost on people that Mr Martin frequently visits the north and speaks of respect and parity for democratic mandates but feels those principles don’t apply to him.
While there is disappointment, a new generation is now looking to the future and to the possibility of government beyond these two parties.
Our Dáil team will champion the interests, ambitions, and hopes of working people and communities who believe a better future is possible.
We are not alone in this endeavour. The parties who stood on a platform of progressive change - including the Social Democrats, PBP and the Labour Party - now hold more than sixty Dáil seats between us.
The drawing of the political lines is clear; a block for the maintenance of the status quo led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael versus a block for real and meaningful political change headed by Sinn Féin.
Our job is now to cooperate effectively, to work together in common purpose, to advance a programme of opposition that builds and strengthens the political alternative.
This has to be a broad effort involving not only political parties but also the active participation of trade unions, social justice organisations, and other civic groups to translate electoral strength into effective policymaking and a unified agenda for change.
We should not miss that this election took place as profound generational change continues to shape the future of Ireland.
The momentum behind the ending of partition and reunification continues to gather pace. It’s the responsbility of all parties to put Irish Unity at the top of the agenda by honouring the explicit commitments made in election manifestos.
Planning for constitutional change and preparing for unity referendums is essential. The next government must embrace this political obligation.
Today, Sinn Féin’s Commission on the Future of Ireland launches its annual report.
The People’s Assemblies held by the Commission across the island created platforms and spaces for people of all backgrounds to voice and share their perspectives, ideas and to raise, in the spirit of generosity, the challenges that we will meet together.
The breadth of the panellists from all sectors of society, including unionist and Protestant voices, willing to participate in the assemblies and the sectoral events was very encouraging.
People want to be part of the conversation on the future of Ireland, on the shape of constitutional change and how best to navigate the next steps of the journey to reunification.
These next steps must include publishing a green paper on Irish Unity, appointing a Minister for Reunification at the Department of An Taoiseach, setting up an Oireachtas Committee on Constitutional Change and establishing an inclusive Citizens’ Assembly on unity.
A Citizen’s Assembly would be a forum for discussing ideas and perspectives on unity, facilitating debate on the shape of the future constitutional arrangements, and clarifying the social, economic, and political challenges.
This report demonstrates what can be done when one party prioritises an open conversation about the future .
If Sinn Féin and others can facilitate dialogue on constitutional change, just imagine how much more effective and inclusive the discussion would be if the Irish government fulfilled its constitutional responsibilities and obligations and took up a more positive role.