Irish Unity

Aontú will strive for the
unity of the Irish people
and the development of a
strong All-Ireland
economy

Aontú seeks the independence of the Irish people north and south, east and west. We believe in self-determination; that decisions
made as close to the people that they affect, are better decisions.

Irish people can influence those decisions and they can hold the
decision makers to account. When decisions are made in London, Brussels and Berlin they are not made in Ireland’s interest.
London treats the northern economy like an economic backwater.

At partition, over 80% of Ireland’s industrial output came from three
counties around Belfast. Belfast was the largest city in Ireland and the north was by far the richest part of Ireland. The north of Ireland
has been impoverished by London’s lack of interest in the 20th Century in the same manner the south of Ireland was in the 19th
Century.

Irish Unity is an opportunity to improve the lives of the people of Ireland

Unity is the key to unlocking Ireland’s potential. Economies of scale, efficiencies of delivery, increased market size, larger EU
representation are all obvious outputs. There is also the question of justice.

Given that the opinions of Irish people north and south are changing significantly in support of Irish unity and given the demographic
change, it is foolish and irresponsible for the governments in Dublin and London not to start to plan for the unity of the Irish people.

Practical Preparation are Necessary now

Not preparing for this opportunity now is a serious mistake. The solution for a hard border is no border. The practical steps that need to be taken to ensure that the latter is achieved in a peaceful and harmonious fashion must now be taken.

The All Ireland Economy was promised under the Good Friday Agreement but it has received precious little attention from the
establishment. It would provide the best way to ameliorate against the worst excesses of Brexit. It must be developed now.
This means planning together, funding together and delivering services together on an All-Ireland basis. We need to be practical in the development of convergence across the Ireland in terms of taxes, enterprise, health care and supports. Better, more effective and more efficient infrastructure and services are a threat to no one.

Stormont
Stormont as its currently constituted has run its course as a means of governance in the northern counties. That it has hit a wall in its
functionality is self-evident in the existing stalemate. There is, in all but name, direct rule from London. The third Westminster budget in
a row is being imposed on the north. The DUP are the only party in the north, through their Confidence and Supply arrangement with
the Tories, actually in power.

This despite the DUP being completely unrepresentative of the people of the north on a whole range of issues not least Brexit. This
bizarre Direct Rule situation only encourages DUP dysfunction and stalemate in Stormont.

All the while the economy of the north, enterprise, housing, health care and the ability for people to feed their families are corroding.
The bread and butter issues facing every family cannot continuously be made to wait.

The Next Steps
The Good Friday Agreement was a wonderful achievement. It created a peace that many thought wasn’t possible. Who can honestly claim that the institutions under the Good Friday Agreement are working? They are broken and will remain so. When
Stormont was up and running it was at best a carve-up between the two largest parties and at worst an exercise in parties blocking
each other.

It is blatantly clear that we now need to move beyond the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. A referendum on Irish reunification is now the only reasonable next step and is necessary to allow the north to move forward economically and socially. Aontú will support calls for this referendum and will actively campaign for a Yes to Unity vote. Joint authority is at best a temporary measure for the short term to allow practical decisions to lift people out of poverty and facilitate enterprise.