Demographic Changes Demand Need For a Referendum For a Pluralist all Ireland Republic - Tóibín
On release of the demographic elements of the Census in the North of Ireland, Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín TD stated;
“This is hugely significant. There is now a majority in the counties of the North of Ireland from a Catholic background for 1st time in almost 400 of years. The Northern state was originally set up as a Protestant state for a Protestant people. While its not the case that people vote on the basis of their religion in every case, there is a clear correlation between people’s cultural and religious background and their vote in the north of Ireland”.
“This comes on the back of significant political change also. The last few elections have seen political Unionism become a minority in elections for Stormont and Westminster. Brexit has turbo boosted the desire for Irish Unity amongst a larger number of people in the north”.
“Key now is some level of self-awareness within Unionism. Political Unionism is acting as if it is still in a majority. Political Unionism believes that an issue must have a Unionist majority for it to be acceptable. They believe for example that majority support in the whole community for the Protocol is worth less than the majority opposition to it within Unionism. This is untenable democratically and is a recipe for disaster in the north in general. The Unionist boycott of Stormont is another echo of their historic dominance that has no place now in modern society”.
“We need to reform the northern political institutions now to prevent the democratic institutions being held to ransom again. We also need a referendum in the next 5 years to allow citizens choose a pluralist, democratic all Ireland Republic."
CRÍOCH
