Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Ireland will establish a government body to study Northern Ireland's constitutional options, preparing research for debate while the 1998 agreement's referendum condition remains in place.
Martin told The Irish Times that the body would examine different models and the challenges attached to them. The scenarios include continued UK membership and a united Ireland that preserves Northern Ireland's devolved institutions. Reuters reported that the proposal would mark the first time an Irish government body undertook research and preparations for possible unity. Martin said he would bring the first steps to Cabinet before year-end.
Martin had introduced the proposal in a speech earlier this week, calling for a research base to support discussion of constitutional futures. In his interview with The Irish Times, he described post-Brexit advocacy for a border poll as “partisan.” He said some advocates portrayed unity as easy and inevitable without listening to all perspectives.
The agreement makes a unity referendum mandatory if the British government judges that majority support among Northern Ireland voters is likely. Reuters reported that polls continue to show most people favor remaining in the UK, though that lead has narrowed since the Brexit vote a decade ago. Irish nationalist parties, including Sinn Fein, have increased calls for a referendum, Reuters said.
Reuters described Martin's proposal as one step in a gradual effort by Ireland's leading government parties to consider what unity might involve. Fine Gael plans to present next week a blueprint it has described as being for a unified island, Reuters reported.
