Three Parties, One Debate: Constitutional Change Takes Centre Stage

Proposals for constitutional change are a bit like buses in 2026: you wait for one, and then three come along all at once. This summer, Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and the SDLP have come forward with either a new initiative or an event looking at the question of constitutional change.

This is not the first time parties have announced initiatives to address this issue. We have had the New Ireland Commission, the Commission on the Future of Ireland, and, of course, the famous New Ireland Forum, established in the 1980s.

What are each of these initiatives, and are they proposing anything different from what we have seen before?

Fine Gael

Earlier this month, Party Leader Simon Harris announced at an event commemorating the centenary of the birth of Garret Fitzgerald (the Taoiseach who established the New Ireland Forum), that Fine Gael would publish a blueprint on Irish unity to define what this could mean in “practical terms, politically, economically and societally.” One of the more remarkable changes in Irish politics has been the reversal in approaches between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on the constitutional issue. Since Brexit, Fine Gael, first under Leo Varadkar and now under Simon Harris, has adopted a more visible stance than its government colleagues Fianna Fáil, who have in recent years approached this issue in a much lower-key manner.

The blueprint, which will be facilitated by Professor Deirdre Heenan, will aim to be ready by the party Ard Fheis in November. To date, some parties have been reticent to spell out defined views on the shape of Irish unity, and whether this blueprint does so from a Fine Gael point of view remains to be seen. If it does, the real test will be integrating this into the government's list of priorities.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin has always been one of the loudest voices on the constitutional debate. Regular attenders at their Ard Fheis and public events will always hear calls to set a date for a border poll and to plan for constitutional change.

Earlier this month, the party president Mary Lou McDonald announced that the party was introducing legislation that would, in effect, compel the Taoiseach to begin planning and preparing for constitutional change. The Bill seeks the publication of a Green Paper which would set out ideas and proposals for a united Ireland. It also proposes the creation of a Citizens' Assembly.

The Bill has been formally proposed in the Dáil, but since it is a Private Members' Bill, securing the necessary time for it to be debated and passed is not as straightforward.

SDLP

The SDLP has gathered a broad range of speakers from across the island of Ireland and other parts of the UK this week to examine the potential for constitutional change and what the future of the UK and Ireland looks like. Speakers included former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar and Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan. Also, something not seen too often is a Sinn Féin representative, Senator Conor Murphy, who was also on a panel. Earlier this year, the SDLP published a document entitled “Success by Design”, which examined a variety of initiatives on cross-border cooperation and how planning for constitutional change can take place.

Does any of this matter?

In the summer, it is not unusual for Irish unity to be referenced in a speech at a summer school or festival. They appear for a day, and then they fade away. However, the common thread through all of these initiatives is that they will go beyond a mere summer focus. Having three parties at once nudges this into a dynamic we don’t often see in Irish politics. Whether it leads to anything substantive is up to the parties who are leading the various initiatives. 

Will Fine Gael’s blueprint bring forward some new plans for how a party not from the centre left thinks about unity? Will Sinn Féin’s Bill get the necessary time and support to pass through the various stages left to go in the Dáil? Will the SDLP’s attempt to bring together this diverse range of opinion on constitutional change set the tone and approach for the years ahead?