Messages

So
We don't know what we want but Micheál Martin must deliver it.

By the way won't Harris be taking over as Taoiseach soon?

I see we're back to the straw men. You can never help yourself can you 😂 Where did I say we don't know what we want Micheal to deliver? Have I not said it repeatedly today?

I mean, I even said in my very last post what I want? Once more, just for you:

I would like Micheal Martin (he's the taoiseach as we speak, isn't he?) to commit the government to producing a plan for reunification in order to kick start a wider debate/process, as a plan produced by an Irish government is the only one that will carry ANY clout/weight/significance in terms of building momentum.

Dear snapchap, this is a discussion board.
I'm interested in what sort of UI you'd like to see or propose, you being a northern nationalist.

No need to be afraid, we're all anonymous here😉.

We are. Which makes your fixation on my vision all the more odd.

For what it's worth, I have not once sat down to draw up a vision of what it will look like. I don't know a single six co nationalist/republican who has. Nor have either of the two main nationalist parties in the north done so.

I, and I'd suggest most six co nationalists and republicans, just know that whatever the nuts and bolts of it, it will be infinitely better than the unmittigated disaster that partition has been. And that the only plan that matters, and the only one that will kick start a wider deabte about the nuts and bolts, will be the one produced by an Irish government. So get drafting that email lobbing Micheal to get the finger out, like a good fella.

taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie 

1 No clamour from the electorate. It's not a huge deal to the majority of people.

Whether it's a huge deal  or not in the south isn't really the point. Demographics in the north will dictate that a referendum is coming down the tracks. All responsible governments are supposed to plan decades in ahead. To refuse to plan ahead for what is an inevitable referendum, with an inevitable outcome, is negligence.

2 It's really difficult to navigate. This is like taking the eggs out of the omelette.

So would scottish independence have been. So was german reunification. So are lots of things. It's not really a good reason not to do it though.

3 When people get engaged in the details of this they realise that a 32 county republic really isn't in the cards and they don't want to be the politicians that break that news to the die hards.

'cept, it is on the cards. The north was a state designed along sectarian lines to ensure a permanent protestant majority. That majority no longer even exists. Reunification is just a matter of time. The unionist population is both older and declining, while the nationalist one is younger and growing, and the pace of both trajectories is increasing.

His views and lack of interest hostility to the idea is out there in public.

Corrected that for you. But whether you want to describe his attitude to Irish unity as disinterest or hostility, the fact is that he is the head of government in the south and as such, his refusal to even discuss making preparations is nothing short of negligence.

I'm more interested in your views, as a 6 Cos nationalist, who'll be voting on the matter first.
You seem to have a vow of silence on it.

You're more interested in my views on a post unity Ireland will look like, than the views of the Taoiseach? I'm touched obviously, but more baffled.

People might think you're waiting for instructions from SF HQ....

Up there with your "army council" posts. You auditioning to be an Indo Columnist or something? I mean tedious comments like that would carry far more weight if was a SF voter, but I've already made it fairly clear that I no longer am, and the reasons for that. Ireland Future have produced a succession of documents which I'd recommend you have a look at if you want to see opinions from six county nationalists, but personally, the only plan I'm interested in considering is the only one which will carry any sort of clout in actually progressing the matter, and thats one produced by an irish government. So do us a favour and get emailing the taoiseach's office and see if you can challenge his "vow of silence" instead of mine.

[EXACT]

Any chance you'd share your vision of a new all Ireland State with us?

Any chance you'd direct that EXACT question in an email to the actual Taoiseach?

I see our great white light in the struggle for freedom, Micheal Martin, has been out of the blocks to pour a good dollop of cold water on Trumps support for reunification. He is decrying that there has been an over-reaction to the comments and that Trump just "has his own particular perspective on things".

Way to seize the opportunity to build some pro-unity momentum there Micheal.

[I thought he was one of the more sensible ones.]

The dup education minister givan. I thought he was one of the more sensible ones. Disaster of a man.

 

[However, there is a danger of conflating demand for a border poll with the need to prepare for one which is going to happen.No one is arguing or demanding one before the next British and Irish elections, but that's no reason not to prepare for one – primarily the job of the Irish government, and Martin refuses to do it because a successful poll is the end of Fianna Fáil.]

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/09/02/michael-mcdowell-andy-burnham-is-right-holding-a-poll-to-test-the-waters-on-unity-should-be-off-the-table/

Good article from a man in favour of unity.

Here's an even better one. From a man who's actually done some spadework in promoting reunification:
"https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/brian-feeney-sooner-or-later-the-answer-to-our-problems-has-to-be-a-border-poll-DEMNDE6HQVGF5EPBG577EWGQTE/"


"...In the last decade, southern governments – now it seems the forever government of FFG – increasingly distanced themselves from northern nationalists, epitomised by Micheál Martin's stance.

The louder the clamour for a referendum, the more it drives Martin bananas, he says.

Of course it's nonsense that a reunification referendum is a matter for the proconsul of the day.
It will only be called "if it seems likely" a majority want reunification. That means a prime minister has decided to end the UK, which is a very big deal indeed.

However, there is a danger of conflating demand for a border poll with the need to prepare for one which is going to happen.
No one is arguing or demanding one before the next British and Irish elections, but that's no reason not to prepare for one – primarily the job of the Irish government, and Martin refuses to do it because a successful poll is the end of Fianna Fáil.

In the meantime, no, there's no "route to some sort of progress we can all buy into", because, like Belgium and other divided states, a large proportion of the population doesn't believe in the legitimacy of the state, let alone how to run it.
What makes the prospect of a crisis more acute, is the culpable ignorance of the British prime minister and the taoiseach's refusal to prepare for constitutional change, equally unforgivable."

Martin isn't refusing to prepare for reunification.

There is a sovereign fund with over 12bn and growing explicitly for the reunification tab. The most senior civil servant is working on the Shared Ireland initiative full time.

MM is a wet fart, but Feeny is wrong here

He went on a bitter rant just last week about how talk of planning for border polls "drives him bananas" and, again, was not "tripped up" when he refused to say he was a persuader for unity. Rather, his comments have been in step with every utterance he's ever made about it. In the same interview, he suggested that reconciliation be a pre-requisite for a border poll - a position totally at odds with the GFA with the sole aim of making a border poll absolutely unachievable. If the same pre-condition was laid down for the GFA referendum, it still wouldn't have been signed to this day. He is also on record as insisting, repeatedly, that his "shared Ireland" fund is not about prepping for unity. If anything, as Brian Feeney has pointed out, it essentially duplicates much of the work that is already supposed to be done by the GFA's NSMC.

The only body that can make the necessary preparations for a border poll and who can make plans for an Ireland post-border poll that will carry any real weight in the conversion, is the Irish Government. And Micheal Martin has made it repeatedly clear that he wants nothing to do with it.

Had any pro re unification groups, parties etc (apart from me) actually laid out what they see a new re unified Ireland looking like?

The only one that would carry any sort of weight would be proposals from the Irish Government. Problem is, its led by someone who isn't even a persuarder in favour of reunification.

[However, there is a danger of conflating demand for a border poll with the need to prepare for one which is going to happen.No one is arguing or demanding one before the next British and Irish elections, but that's no reason not to prepare for one – primarily the job of the Irish government, and Martin refuses to do it because a successful poll is the end of Fianna Fáil.]

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/09/02/michael-mcdowell-andy-burnham-is-right-holding-a-poll-to-test-the-waters-on-unity-should-be-off-the-table/

Good article from a man in favour of unity.

Here's an even better one. From a man who's actually done some spadework in promoting reunification:
"https://www.irishnews.com/opinion/brian-feeney-sooner-or-later-the-answer-to-our-problems-has-to-be-a-border-poll-DEMNDE6HQVGF5EPBG577EWGQTE/"


"...In the last decade, southern governments – now it seems the forever government of FFG – increasingly distanced themselves from northern nationalists, epitomised by Micheál Martin's stance.

The louder the clamour for a referendum, the more it drives Martin bananas, he says.

Of course it's nonsense that a reunification referendum is a matter for the proconsul of the day.
It will only be called "if it seems likely" a majority want reunification. That means a prime minister has decided to end the UK, which is a very big deal indeed.

However, there is a danger of conflating demand for a border poll with the need to prepare for one which is going to happen.
No one is arguing or demanding one before the next British and Irish elections, but that's no reason not to prepare for one – primarily the job of the Irish government, and Martin refuses to do it because a successful poll is the end of Fianna Fáil.

In the meantime, no, there's no "route to some sort of progress we can all buy into", because, like Belgium and other divided states, a large proportion of the population doesn't believe in the legitimacy of the state, let alone how to run it.
What makes the prospect of a crisis more acute, is the culpable ignorance of the British prime minister and the taoiseach's refusal to prepare for constitutional change, equally unforgivable."

Whenever Micheal Martin stands down the Irish Government should go full scale preparation for Unity.  There is a strong possibility after AE2027 that there will be more MLAs in favour of a United Ireland than those opposed to it. If the Irish Government continue to ignore the issue then I would really love to see SF/SDLP/PBP walk out of Stormont and head straight to Dail Eireann and demand action.  That couldn't be ignored! I know the Brits are still in  charge,  but until The Irish government stand up  nothing will ever change.

They aren't ignoring it. They are taking a long view. The Shared Island thing is bubbling away.

MM might have said what he said, but reality is a slow building of the groundwork.

Long view? Micheal a while back refused to even say confirm to a reporter that he is a pursuader in favour of re-unification.

I didn't argue against anything.
Just stated a fact.
If I was to keep repeating "Border poll now" maybe the Army Council would appoint me leader of Sinn Féin?

Throwing in references to the IRA army council now? Oh dear. When Meehole goes, I think you're a shoo-in.

I think you'll find the EU and the US have more pressing concerns.

Easy on Rossfan... if you're going to argue against doing the absolute bare basic thing of just a bit of lobbying in favour of Irish self-determination, you could very easily find yourself as leader of FF if you're not careful.

Following the discussion that flared up on the World Cup thread recently (of all places), I seen this on twitter today. Appearances by newspaper journalists on The Nolan Show (May 2024-May 2025)

Belfast Telegraph: 94
Irish News:        01

Just a reminder that this is the same Micheal Martin who once refused to confirm in an interview that he regards himself as a persuader for Irish Unity.

"The Republican Party"