Planning for a united Ireland drawing on the voices of people from across the island of all persuasions should begin quickly led by the Department of the Taoiseach, a major Oireachtas committee has recommended.
Saying that “there are no insurmountable economic or financial barriers” to unification, the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement added: “The economic success of a new Ireland is in our own hands. What is needed now is detailed and ambitious preparations.”
Planning should be led by the Department of the Taoiseach and involve every government department and agency in the Republic, followed by the publication of a Green Paper that would set out a vision for a united Ireland.
The preparations for a Green Paper should include consultation, up to and including the creation of a body along the lines of the New Ireland Forum four decades ago, that would be open to every party, North and South.
However, the forum would have a broader range than the 1980s version in that it would draw on all voices in society, not just political ones, and every effort would be made to ensure “public engagement is inclusive of unionist perspectives”.
In its recommendations, the Belfast Agreement committee, chaired by Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd, called for increased North-South co-operation across every area of society, regardless of whether any future constitutional change takes place or not.
Changes should be made to enable teachers to work in schools anywhere on the island, while barriers facing third-level students – especially those from Northern Ireland wanting to study in the Republic – should be removed.
Work on the A5 road that will dramatically improve travel to and from Derry, but also the western part of Northern Ireland, should begin as soon as possible, while climate action preparations should happen on an all-island basis.
There should be closer co-operation between the Industrial Development Authority and its northern counterpart, Invest NI, to attract foreign direct investment in ways that would offer greater benefits to places beyond Dublin and Belfast.
Every issue affecting the operation of the all-island economy, including the working of taxation, welfare and pensions rules, and the risks of post-Brexit divergence between the European Union and the United Kingdom, should be examined closely.
Transfers between State officials working for the Northern Ireland civil service and its Dublin counterpart should happen routinely, with efforts made to develop an exchange programme.
A major review that would look at the operation of social welfare systems in both parts of the island should occur in a bid to “build a new welfare state from the ground up”, including offering greater rights to carers and children.
An Oireachtas committee should be set up “dedicated to the preparation for a united Ireland” with powers to examine future governance and possible constitutional changes that would be required.
Mr O’Dowd said planning for unification “will require immense preparation, which will need to begin well in advance of referendums being called”.
Every vision of the future of the island – whether it be unionist, nationalist or other – was “equally valid and equally deserving of respect”, said the Louth TD, who steps down at the end of the life of the current Dáil.
However, he said, the “creation of a constitutional path towards a united Ireland remains integral to the peace process”, and it is vital that such a possibility is “treated with serious consideration and careful preparation”.
Referendums in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland could “be difficult and divisive” unless the Irish Government “makes serious efforts to prepare for the possibility of a united Ireland”, he said.
Quoting the words of John Hume, Mr O’Dowd said that “Ireland is not a romantic dream; it is not a flag; it is 4.5 million people divided into two powerful traditions” and the future will not be decided by victory, but by agreement and partnership.
