Irish Reunification | Athaontú na hÉireann:
The right of the Irish people to determine our own affairs is a key objective of Aontú. Self-Determination is a civil and human right that should be afforded to all Irish people. Brexit has highlighted the cost of allowing Westminster to determine the future of the people of the North of Ireland. Tory MPs know little and care less about the North of Ireland. Yet they determine the future of everyone, north and south.
London has treated the North as an economic backwater. Since partition, the location of the greatest income, economic development, wealth and standards of living has moved from the North to the South. This is not an accident. Self-determination is a key ingredient of community and economic development.
Unfortunately, precious little has been achieved by either Sinn Féin, the SDLP, Fianna Fáil or the Fine Gael government to date. Aontú is a party of practical Republicanism. Practical republicanism has the potential to achieve more for the people of the six counties than protesting on the side-lines ever will.
A Dáil for All
100 years ago, Irish MPs, north and south, refused to attend Westminster and established the First Dáil. This was a practical step towards Irish Self-Determination. They took this step because they knew that decisions made close to the people that they affect are better decisions. Citizens can influence those decisions and hold decision makers to account. They also knew only too well that London would never make decisions in Ireland’s best interest. This has not changed in 100 years.
The formation of the First Dáil was a watershed event in Irish history. The decision to create an Irish national parliament was a powerful action that put into practice the right of the Irish people to determine our own affairs. The Dáil that Countess Markievicz, Cathal Brugha and others established was a national parliament, not a partitionist one. Aontú affirms the right of all the people of Ireland, north and south, to representation in a national parliament.
Practical Steps to All-Ireland Representation
Aontú MPs, if elected in upcoming Westminster General Election, will present themselves to Leinster House in Dublin. We will demand that all Irish citizens throughout Ireland have democratic representation in Dáil. This would be the first practical step toward the re-establishment of a truly national parliament.
With a mandate from people in the North, Aontú elected representatives will insist that the Irish government facilitates our participation in Dáil, alongside TDs representing other parts of Ireland.
Aontú in government will work towards the integration of service delivery on an all-Ireland basis in terms of health, education, spatial development, housing, infrastructural development and justice.
Aontú has published a Bill that if passed would allow MPs elected in the North of Ireland the right to sit and speak in the Dáil. There is no constitutional bar on this right. Aontú has successfully steered this Bill through its 1st stage in the Dáil.
Aontú Leadar Peadar Tóibín is a member of the Good Friday Committee in the Oireachtas. Here Aontú has started a campaign to empower MPs from the North to attend, speak and debate in all Dáil Committees. Each Committee in the Oireachtas has been asked to support this Motion.
New Ireland Forum
Aontú is also calling on the Irish government to invite all shades of political and Civic opinion across the whole of Ireland to attend a New Irish Forum to plan and build for the future. The Forum would begin the practical planning to map out the process of economic and service convergence in both parts of the country and to prepare for the final constitutional settlement in the North.
A Referendum on Irish Unity
Aontú will hold a referendum on Irish reunification within five years.
The Protocol
The majority of the population of the North voted to remain within the EU. The DUP and the Tories ignored the will of the people and proceed to pull the North out of the EU. This necessitated a border. Either the border between the EU and the British State would have to be located along the Irish Border which would have necessitated hundreds of checking points on that border or in the Irish Sea which would necessitate checking points on a handful of ports. Obviously, the former would be impossible to police and would shut down movement along 10 counties. As a result, the Protocol is the only practical solution to a self-made disaster by the DUP and the Tories.
The Francie Brolly Bill:
The Francie Brolly Bill will grant MLAs speaking rights in the Dáil, therefore improving understanding and provision for all the people. Inspired and influenced by the late Francie Brolly, Aontú will work with Unionist colleagues to create a harmonious relationship based on respect for each of our traditions. We will create a more just and caring society which has the confidence of all sections of our community. Aontú believe in hard work, determination and most importantly respect. We must be prepared to listen as well as talk, we must work to build a better future for generations to come. Aontú will fight for representation of the people at every level.
