Mary Lou MacDonald said reunification of Ireland would not stop Unionists from becoming British. The United Ireland should be guaranteed the right to a British passport after the breakup of the UK, the leader of Sinn Féin said on Tuesday.
Mary Lou MacDonald said reunification of Ireland would not prevent Unionists from remaining British or appreciating British institutions such as the monarchy.
She predicted that it would be less than 25 years before a «totally changed» Ireland was reunited at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Belfast.
“The British are British. I have no ambition to challenge it, let alone change it,” Ms McDonald said.
“The fundamental question of identity, whether Irish, British or both, is completely resolved by the Good Friday Agreement.
“I believe we will have an Ireland that comes together over the next 25 years. In fact, I don't think it will take 25 years.»
«I firmly believe that we need to discuss now what an orderly, peaceful, democratic constitutional change is. it looks like.
“Thus, the question will be before the British government. What is the democratic space in the UK in the context of a United Ireland within the European Union? What space will be created for the recognition of this identity?”
Reunification before 2030
Ms Macdonald was asked if this meant that the grandchildren of union members in Northern Ireland should now be eligible for a British passport, in the same way that residents of Northern Ireland can apply for Irish passports now.
«Absolutely. I think it should be crystal clear. And what we need is an absolute guarantee from the British system that should be adopted because it will be a call to them,» said Mrs. Ms Macdonald.
Sinn Féin became the largest party in Northern Ireland for the first time in the Stormont elections last May, and Michelle O'Neill, Ms McDonald's Vice President, was elected First Minister.
But she was unable to take on the role due to the DUP boycott of Stormont over the post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland.
Good Friday Agreement
Ms. MacDonald, who predicted reunification before 2030, said there was a need to talk about Stormont's future after reunification.
“Will it be used as a transition element? Will it be a permanent fixture? I want us to talk about it,” she said.
The Good Friday Agreement recognized the right of the people on the island of Ireland to reunite if border polls in Ireland and Northern Ireland supported this.
Last year's census showed that for the first time in the region's 101-year history, there are more Catholics, who are traditionally Nationalists, than Protestants, who are usually Unionists.
UK law states that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland must call for a vote if it «appears likely» that a majority of voters want Irish unification, but it is not clear how this should be decided.
The Irish government must also agree that Ms Macdonald will stand for the post of Prime Minister of Ireland in elections due before 2025.
The governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic, under the leadership of Sinn Féin, will step up pressure to hold referendums. The reunification debate should have started now so that people would understand what they were voting for and prevent a «mark two Brexit,» Ms MacDonald said.
She called on the Unionists, who «are British in a divided Ireland and will be British in a united Ireland, to speak up» in the Citizens' Assembly process to discuss the issue.
The 2016 referendum gave new impetus to the movement for unity because the majority of the people in Northern Ireland voted to stay. People are also frustrated with the political stalemate over the Brexit deal.
A UK government spokesman said: «The Belfast Agreement (Good Friday) enshrines the rights and principle of consent to remain part of the UK for as long as it wishes. people.
"There is no reason to believe that the majority of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland wish to secede from the United Kingdom. "
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