Change across the pond<\/p>\n
However, it has been decisions taken in Britain, not on this island, that have brought constitutional questions back to the forefront of public debate.<\/p>\n
Brexit has already acted as an accelerator when it comes to conversations around change and the future of the union.<\/p>\n
The rise of the Reform party has again reignited a discussion around the breakup of the UK, with leader Nigel Farage stating earlier this year that a second independence referendum in Scotland would be \u201cquite reasonable\u201d if the issue became \u201crelevant\u201d in future.<\/p>\n
The fact that Farage now finds himself contesting a by-election against a candidate who goes by the name Count Binface indicates just how unpredictable and utterly bonkers politics has become across the water. (Former actor and far-right agitator Laurence Fox also said he will run.)<\/p>\n
The emergence of a Reform-led government after the next general election in the UK could spark turmoil by raking up delicate constitutional questions.<\/p>\n
In the D\u00e1il, Ms Currie argued that if there is to be another chapter in the constitutional story of this island, it should not be driven by decisions taken elsewhere and instead it should be shaped here, as an expression of the hopes, ambitions, and aspirations of the people who share this island.<\/p>\n
\n The legitimate questions many people in Northern Ireland are asking about the future cannot be ignored, (nor can) their frustration with repeated political stalemate and the impact Brexit has had on how they see their place in these islands and in Europe.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are ask people to consider constitutional change, whether they live in Castleknock or Castlederg, we cannot speak only to their sense of identity or longing but to their everyday lives, jobs, healthcare, pensions, their children\u2019s education and their economic security.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is therefore essential that citizens north and south are not ill-prepared if they are forced to confront the vista of a united Ireland due to a highly volatile political landscape across the Irish sea.<\/p>\n
Shared island unit<\/p>\n
The Government has stressed that considerable work is already underway through the shared island unit, which the coalition believe is the most appropriate vehicle to advance the cause.<\/p>\n
During the D\u00e1il debate this week, the Taoiseach took issue with the fact that no one on the Sinn F\u00e9in benches had even acknowledged the existence of the unit, which he claimed is doing work on a scale like never before. That may be true, but Martin should look into his own heart and recognise that his shared island pet project has been almost operating in secret, such is the lack of visibility around it.<\/p>\n
The dearth of ambition around promoting the shared island unit has been a niggling annoyance among many in Fianna F\u00e1il.<\/p>\n
It led to rather colourful language in a private WhatsApp group, with Louth TD Erin McGreehan posting: \u201cFuck Fine Gael fuck Sinn F\u00e9in, we are Fianna F\u00e1il we are the Republican Party. There would not be peace on this island without us and the leaders we had.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and others in the parliamentary party, were responding to an announcement from Simon Harris that Fine Gael will develop a \u201cblueprint for a unified island\u201d by November.<\/p>\n
But the undercurrent of frustration centred around a lack of visibility of the shared island unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dog work isn\u2019t sexy,\u201d is how one Fianna F\u00e1il member put it this week, but with \u20ac1.5bn set aside for cross-party collaboration, more should be made of it, is the general consensus.<\/p>\n
![\"Sinn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5152292_7_articleinline_265Sinn_20Fein_20On_20Plinth.jpeg\" "\\"Sinn")
Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill speaking to the media at Leinster House before their bill was defeated. Picture: Leah Farrell\/RollingNews.ie<\/p>\n
Recently for example, a significant funding announcement for 12 new projects went under the radar.<\/p>\n
Journalists could have been summoned out to Connolly Station to highlight the \u20ac193m contribution to Derry-Belfast-Dublin rail infrastructure and a further \u20ac35m investment to continue the Dublin-Belfast hourly-frequency rail service.<\/p>\n
Or a press briefing could have been held along the banks of Ulster Canal to draw attention to a \u20ac30m contribution to the project. A photocall along our rugged coastline would have tied in nicely with the \u20ac1.6m contribution to Great Lighthouses of Ireland.<\/p>\n
But a press release on the \u20ac377m bundle of funding was discretely dropped via email while most political reporters were watching the Taoiseach take Leaders\u2019 Questions in the D\u00e1il.<\/p>\n
As Simon Harris put it, constitutional change cannot be driven by deadlines or arbitrary timelines.<\/p>\n
But the reality of life in a future united Ireland must be fully explored and debated across the island so citizens are fully aware of the realities. We need to step further along the path beyond the romantic ideal of a nation once again.<\/p>\n
As part of the shared island unit, the ERSI has been quietly carrying out detailed work.<\/p>\n
A high-level comparison of the economies of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland found that household disposable income in Ireland is 18.3% higher than the six counties as of 2018, and the gap has widened over time.<\/p>\n
In terms of wages, the data show a positive gap favouring the Republic of Ireland, with hourly earnings 36% higher than in Northern Ireland in 2022.<\/p>\n
On a per capita basis, residents north of the border pay significantly lower personal income tax than those in the Republic of Ireland \u2014 \u20ac2,980 in Northern Ireland, compared to \u20ac6,725 per capita here.<\/p>\n
This is just one tiny slice of research that sheds light on significant divergences north and south, all of which would have to be hammered out ahead of any unity poll.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sometimes discussions around a united Ireland can feel a bit like the lotto plan. Most of us all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":543626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[895,61,60,43,2443,3415],"class_list":["post-543625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-fianna-fail","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-northern-ireland","tag-sinn-fein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/543626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=543625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=543625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}