Preparations for constitutional change should involve the whole Dublin government, which should work towards publishing a green paper that sets out a vision for a united Ireland, an Oireachtas committee has said.
The Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement’s first ever report, entitled ‘Perspectives on Constitutional Change: Finance and Economics’, examines the potential cost of unity, alongside arguing for the need to lay the groundwork ahead of a referendum.
Advocating that the southern government waste no time, the committee’s report says preparation for Irish unity should involve “extensive and thoughtful public engagement” across the island.
It says the process should be as inclusive as possible and draw on “best practice from fora for deliberative democracy and civic engagement”, such as citizens’ assemblies and the Shared Island dialogues.
The report examines the all-island economy, as well as financial and economic implications of constitutional change.
It calls for increased north-south co-operation on energy and climate action, the realisation of the Dublin government’s commitments to northern transport infrastructure, and an examination of the potential for building a “new welfare state from the ground up”.
The committee notes the need for full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and the importance of both north/south and east/east cooperation, regardless of any future constitutional change.
The report concludes that “there are no insurmountable barriers to Irish reunification”.
Committee chair and Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd described the all-Ireland economy as a “major success of the peace process”, as he highlighted how cross-border trade had grown by 500% since 1998 and was now worth more than €12 bn (£10bn).
He stressed the need for immediate action.
“The committee heard strong calls for planning to begin for a referendum on constitutional change and calls for the political system to work to build a consensus on what a new and united Ireland would look like,” Mr O’Dowd said.
“Preparation for referenda on Irish unification will be a historic task. The committee calls for preparation to begin immediately.”
The committee chair said members would examine other aspects of unity in the future.
“Constitutional change would have profound consequences for Ireland and Northern Ireland; voters in referenda will need in-depth information on what the decision would mean for their daily lives, including answers on political institutions, healthcare, taxation, education, social welfare, and pensions,” he said.
“Providing detailed answers to these questions will require immense preparation, which will need to begin well in advance of referenda being called.”
Sinn Féin TD and committee member Rose Conway-Walsh welcomed the report’s all-party consensus.
“Across Ireland, there is a growing, positive and inclusive conversation taking place about the benefits that Irish unity would bring to all communities,” she said.
“Planning for constitutional change is the sensible thing to do – government should do so without delay.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described the report as a “thoughtful contribution to the debate about the future of our island”, which carried the weight of a cross-party, cross-border committee.
“We support the call for more structured engagement on what a new society would look like and believe that the best way to do that is to bring together the New Ireland Forum so that New Ireland parties can develop a consensus and prospectus for change,” the Foyle MP said.
