Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill has stated that a referendum on Irish unity could “very conceivably” take place by 2030. Speaking ahead of the party’s Ard Fheis in Belfast, she described unity as the “big idea” of her generation and insisted she has not given up on the poll occurring by the end of the decade.
In an interview with the Press Association, O’Neill argued that constitutional change offers solutions to many current challenges. She pointed to the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which she said promised a unity referendum, and called for that promise to be fulfilled. As Northern Ireland’s first nationalist First Minister, she acknowledged limitations in the current Stormont arrangements, citing Brexit as an example of London’s disregard for Northern Ireland.
O’Neill criticised successive British prime ministers for failing to address the region’s funding model. She argued that Northern Ireland should take control of its own destiny, saying “the best answers to a lot of big challenges today is constitutional change.”
However, unionists have disputed any increase in support for Irish unity, and Taoiseach Micheal Martin has previously stated he is not planning for a border poll by 2030. Under the Good Friday Agreement, a referendum would be triggered if the UK Secretary of State believes a majority in Northern Ireland would vote for unification.
When asked if the prospect of a 2030 poll was diminishing, O’Neill replied: “No, I don’t give up on that… I still think it’s very conceivable we will have our unity referendum for 2030.” She pointed to upcoming elections as opportunities to demonstrate support for change and to advocate for what she called “the big idea of my generation.”
