I think all of this is less important than who’s second. Sinn Fein cannot reunite Ireland on its own, but what’s more important is that the second party is neutral about the subject **while being pro-EU**. And the only way to get in the EU is by leaving the UK.
A significant moment if that day comes.
>>In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein has downplayed talk of a united Ireland in its campaign to focus on bread-and-butter issues………….Meanwhile, politics in Northern Ireland is changing. More support is going to parties that identify as neither nationalist nor unionist, with young people increasingly rejecting the traditional labels.
Sinn Féin’s problem now, is that they need to move the unification issue forward in the Republic of Ireland, not the North.
UI will never happen unless the Republic gets behind the idea and persuades enough of those non-sectarian middle ground voters.
I’m not sure how Sinn Féin can do this. They have a good chance of being the next government in the Republic, but even then – can they get Irish public opinion behind the UI idea? It seems pretty tepid & uninterested about the issue right now.
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I think all of this is less important than who’s second. Sinn Fein cannot reunite Ireland on its own, but what’s more important is that the second party is neutral about the subject **while being pro-EU**. And the only way to get in the EU is by leaving the UK.
A significant moment if that day comes.
>>In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein has downplayed talk of a united Ireland in its campaign to focus on bread-and-butter issues………….Meanwhile, politics in Northern Ireland is changing. More support is going to parties that identify as neither nationalist nor unionist, with young people increasingly rejecting the traditional labels.
Sinn Féin’s problem now, is that they need to move the unification issue forward in the Republic of Ireland, not the North.
UI will never happen unless the Republic gets behind the idea and persuades enough of those non-sectarian middle ground voters.
I’m not sure how Sinn Féin can do this. They have a good chance of being the next government in the Republic, but even then – can they get Irish public opinion behind the UI idea? It seems pretty tepid & uninterested about the issue right now.