Pearse Doherty calls for white paper on United Ireland referendum

Pearse Doherty has doubled down on a belief that a referendum on Irish unity is getting closer to reality.

The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Finance and Donegal TD has called for the development of a white paper and says that those advocating a united Ireland need to “prepare and plan” for a referendum.

Deputy Doherty told the MacGill Summer School in Glenties that he believes that an Irish unity referendum will take place 'before the end of the decade'.

“The threshold to trigger the referendum is going to happen,” Mr Doherty said. “The referendum will take place and it's not just me saying that; Unionism is accepting that. We need to prepare and plan.

“It is not appropriate to go into that referendum without having the work done.

“So, what needs to be done? A white paper needs to be developed, we need to get an all-party committee on Irish unity that is open to all to participate and we also need a citizen's assembly that allows the citizens to have their input and asks what does this look like?

“It is our job, for those who believe in Irish unity, is to make sure that when the referendum happens that we have the answers and that we are able to convince the majority to vote for it.”

A wide-ranging discussion on with Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan, the University Provost at Ulster University, was opened to the floor.

Deputy Doherty told the attendance at the Highlands Hotel that “inclusive dialogue” is imperative to any referendum on Irish unity.

Pearse Doherty in conversation with Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan. Photo: Thomas Gallagher

He said: “We need the forums and systems in place that have inclusive dialogue. We need to de-romanticise the notion of four green fields and have proper dialogue and engagement.

“This isn't about coercion. You can't force something on someone.

“What Sinn Féin have been calling for isn't an immediate referendum on Irish reunification; it is to set up the processes so we can have the dialogue, the debate and the discussion. We understand that you need to take people along with you.

“A new Ireland has to be a tolerant Ireland.”

Deputy Doherty said that a united Ireland would reap a net benefit to the State and would result in “significant GDP growth”, which would bring benefits to the economy and tax revenue. Discussions would be needed, he said, in terms of a transition period were such a referendum to become a reality.

He pointed to remarks made from the same stage in Glenties in 2018 by Peter Robinson, the former DUP leader. Mr Robinson said that just because he felt Northern Ireland wouldn't want to leave the UK was no reason not to prepare for that eventuality.

“I don’t expect my own house to burn down but I still insure it because it could happen,” he said at the time.

Deputy Doherty said that “sticky questions” would have to be asked and any deficits coming from a possible loss of the London subvention in the future exist “ because of partition”.

“Before partition, Belfast was the engine of Ireland,” he said. “Belfast was where most of the economic activity was happening and it continued for a period after partition, but then it stopped.”

Asked about a seeming lack of keenness from the new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for a referendum on Irish unity to take place, Deputy Doherty said: “Any British government will not have Irish interests at heart.”

Deputy Doherty said the recent election results showed that waves of change are sweeping.

Sinn Féin now stands as the largest party in the North,” he said. “In February of this year Michelle O’Neill became this first republican to take up the office of First Minister in the North. It was an amazing moment – showing the depth of change that has taken place in the North.

“We saw this again in the Westminster elections this month. This is not a boast but an acknowledgment of the change we are seeing right before our very eyes across this island.

“A new chapter of Irish history is being written if we have the vision to grasp it with both hands.

“The Good Friday Agreement was a watershed moment in our peace process - but its promise has not yet been fully realised.

“We are on the brink of something new and of something better if we have the strength to embrace it and the will to choose it.

“That choice will be no more clear and no more consequential that at the next general election. The choice will be before our people as to the Ireland they want to live in – not just in five years’ time but in ten years’ time.

“We now have the opportunity to rebuild this island, to create a new and united Ireland. Where the identities of all are respected. Where the potential of every person and community is cherished.

“We are on the brink of change. We need to plan for it. It is up to us to decide whether we move forward or backwards. Let us move forward together.”