Unity debate benefits from Leo Varadkar’s energy and focus - The Irish News view

It is a measure of the changing climate in Irish politics that the former Fine Gael taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivered a speech last week which would not have been out of place at the weekend’s Sinn Féin Ard Fheis.

Mr Varadkar has taken a much firmer stance during discussions on unity since standing down as premier last April, and his address at a New Irish Commission schools engagement event in Derry was arguably his most direct to date.

Having previously told an Ireland’s Future conference in Belfast in June that he was determined to advocate for a positive outcome to a border referendum, he provided more details of his thinking to the group of north west students last Thursday.

He proposed that all the main Dáil parties should make unification “not just an aspiration but an objective”, which should be specifically included in their manifestos when the next general election is called, possibly within the next matter of weeks.

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Mr Varadkar said that, while a simple majority for unity in a border poll would be sufficient, he wanted the margin to be as convincing as possible, and offered some intriguing thoughts on the structures which could accompany a new Ireland.

He suggested that the Dáil could sit at Stormont for parts of the year in the event of unification, when the state might also have both a president and a vice-president, one of whom would be drawn from the British and unionist tradition, with reforms guaranteeing minority representation at Seanad Éireann on a long-term basis.

Mr Varadkar also raised the question of how a 32-county Ireland could deal with 21st century threats, and floated the idea of a defence agreement with the UK and a closer relationship with Nato.

Leo Varadkar suggested that the Dáil could sit at Stormont for parts of the year in the event of unification, when the state might also have both a president and a vice-president, one of whom would be drawn from the British and unionist tradition

While these are no more than talking points at present, which will inevitably divide opinion even within broad nationalism, they demonstrate how a debate is taking shape and can be expected to evolve in the coming years.

It remains to be seen whether forthcoming elections confirm the view of some academics who have closely studied demographic trends that a significant increase in the nationalist vote across the north will shortly emerge.

What cannot be disputed is that the level of unionist support in the ballot boxes has been steadily declining for decades, with obvious patterns emerging at Westminster, Stormont and district council level.

The British government will at some stage be compelled to clarify the noticeably vague criteria for the staging of a border referendum, and it is essential that advocates of unity should set out their vision for the future as clearly as possible. Mr Varadkar deserved full credit for his contribution.