A chara, – Further to Newton Emerson's "Walking into the trap of the Sinn Féin numbers game" (Opinion & Analysis, November 24th), Sinn Féin does not claim that the North is an "economic miracle", merely that there exist wildly inaccurate claims regarding the so-called British subvention that need to be challenged and clarified.
Of course there will be some costs associated with uniting our country but Sinn Féin believes they will be outweighed by the resultant economic benefits.
Neither has Sinn Féin sought to set “traps” for unionist politicians in order to get them to deal with arguments for unity. Rather, we have been upfront and transparent in seeking an open, inclusive and respectful dialogue with unionist representatives and others.
Sinn Féin is not, as your columnist claims, “refusing to face up to mere numbers”. On the contrary, we are seeking to ascertain accurate numbers so that we can all have a fully informed, evidence-based discussion.
Newton Emerson disputes Sinn Féin estimates regarding the North's income and expenditure but fails to provide estimates of his own or those of others. He also contends that Sinn Féin is unwilling to address aspects of the independent study Modelling Irish Unity. Not so.
Sinn Féin believes Modelling Irish Unity to be but one, albeit important, view of the situation, and that any economic policies pursued in a united Ireland would be shaped by the type of Government elected in that scenario.
Sinn Féin seeks a united Ireland in which the public sector plays a lead role in relation to services and employment and in which the rights of public sector workers are better protected than is currently the case, North or South.
The most telling point about this debate so far is that nobody has yet made an economic argument for the continued partition of Ireland, and any studies that have been carried out all point to the economic benefits of unity. – Is mise,
MATT CARTHY MEP,
Sinn Féin,
Carraig Mhachaire Rois,
Co Mhuineacháin.