Successful Debate on United Ireland in Queen’s University Belfast

Tuesday 16th February saw the launch of the United Ireland taskforce in Ireland. After a successful launch in America, and leading up to the launch in England, the Sheena Campbell Sinn Fein Cumann facilitated a public talk in Queen’s University Belfast on, "A United Ireland - How it will Happen?"

National Chairperson Declan Kearney opened proceedings outlining the importance of a United Ireland, and the road map to which we can achieve this. Declan pointed out that although the Good Friday Agreement, and subsequent St. Andrews and Hillsborough agreements, aren’t Republican documents. They provide the framework to popularise Republicanism through electoral strength. The main priority for us, as Republicans, is to remove all strands of political power from Britain and empower local democratically elected community activists. The inroads we have achieved to reunification and the increased dependability of cross border bodies are all indications of the direction we are moving.



Mary Lou McDonald, party Vice President and a member of the United Ireland Task Force spoke about the task of popularising Republicanism in the 26 counties, and about how to make the national question relevant to southern voters. There is an impression that Irish unity is an old wives tale to many southern voters, something that is desirable but unobtainable. Our job is to make that dream a reality.

Mary Lou went on to quell the rumours that if reunification was to happen we would somehow emerge with a weaker economy. In fact this would be quite the opposite, we demand, as stated in the Proclamation of 1916, the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. Thus giving the Irish people full control of their economy. The fact that on an island the size of Ireland we have a split economy, 2 currencies, and duplicate departments all serve to promote a United Ireland using only common sense as the argument.

Speaking after the event Grace Lynch, candidate in the up and coming Student Union elections said,

“It was great to see such a large crowd attend today’s event. The purpose of this event was to put the National Question back into people's minds, to discuss our views for an Ireland of Equals and the strategy to achieve this. The debate was good, with various opinions and differing views put to the panel; this is what Sinn Fein is about…grass roots politics. Today was the launching pad for the Task Force in Ireland, and the 20th February will see the campaign launched in London. This is the first of many public debates to be hosted in Ireland and we hope that all are attended as well as this one tonight. It is the people that dictate our direction, and through the process of continued grass root involvement we will work to ensure that people not only think about a United Ireland, they work to achieve that.”