Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been reflecting on the programme for government launched by the re-elected Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael coalition.
Produced in just two months, the document restates parts of plans put in place during the last mandate.
However, something left out is a commitment to any pursuit of the goal of Irish unification.
Varadkar noted that “there is no forum on reconciliation nor on what the future constitutional arrangements of a new Ireland might look like. It’s likely that the impetus to work towards and plan for unification will have to come from outside Leinster House”.
It is incredibly disappointing that no meaningful approach has been developed to the issue of Irish unity.
This is especially true when you consider that one of the government’s signature achievements in the last term of office was the Shared Island unit, which, it should be noted, will receive an increase in funding.
However, the good work being done by this unit and the various supports for cooperation need something else alongside it.
I get that there is a reluctance to push the issue of unity in parts of the Irish government. Now Brexit has settled down as an issue and a new British government is in power, there is a desire to not rock the boat.
This view misses that nobody is seriously expecting a border poll immediately or within the next two or three years, nor is anyone expecting the Irish government to down tools on everything else and make this its sole priority.
It is reasonable to ask that the government uses the strong economy and resources at its disposal to help push this issue forward.
Irish unity in so many areas is something that we are happy to keep talking about, but not very keen to work towards a time when we can actually contemplate implementation.
Varadkar noted that the impetus and work for a plan would likely have to come from outside the corridors of power in Dublin.
It is true that campaign groups and bodies outside of government have an important role to play, but is it really feasible that this can be left to them alone?
The government sets the policy agenda of the nation. No one person or group can make moves like this alone.
There is a reason why Quebec and Scotland’s nationalist movements recognised the value of winning power. They knew that without being in government, their ability to propose and implement a referendum was seriously limited.
That’s why the role of the Irish government is critically important. Not just to campaign for Irish unity, which gets too much focus, but to help set much of the policy agenda for it.
This is an area that is not only well overdue but vital. Without it, all anyone can do is develop ideas and have debates in the hope that some part of it moves.
The eco-system of ideas has to be able to find some sympathetic ears in government. Not just to have circular conversations about the past but to actually put some proper meat on the bones of our future. That’s why this is important.
Initiatives such as the Shared Island unit have been such a success, but cannot do this alone. In 2025, we must add to our approaches to bring this island together.
After a solid run over the past eight years with Irish unity playing a more prominent role, the issue is now in danger of stalling altogether.
We cannot expect or place our hopes on campaign groups, who are well-intentioned but cannot be asked to be the only vehicles on such a complex and important issue.
We need the Irish government to play its part, alongside the opposition parties and campaigning groups, to drive this forward.
There is no Helmut Kohl-style figure out there who will make this happen alone.
Irish unity will ultimately be a team effort. We need the Irish government on the pitch.