Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister has accused former taoiseach Leo Varadkar of “reinventing himself” over comments he made about Irish unity.
Emma Little-Pengelly took a swipe at the former Fine Gael leader after he said that Irish unity would become “centre stage” if Reform leader Nigel Farage was elected UK prime minister.
Mr Varadkar said if Mr Farage became prime minister, it would “change the pictures in terms of attitudes towards independence in Scotland”, and change the views of some people in the middle ground in Northern Ireland.
Mr Varadkar said he believes planning for a united Ireland should be happening, but that a date should not be fixed as the numbers to win a vote are not in place.
He added: “I don’t think a united Ireland is inevitable, I think it’s something that we have to work towards.
“But I think there are a lot of factors that would suggest that we’re on that trajectory.
“Demographic factors, polling, even the most recent numbers showing that a very clear majority of younger people in Northern Ireland want there to be a new united Ireland.”
However, speaking in Armagh at the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) on Friday, Ms Little-Pengelly said that Mr Varadkar is “entitled to reinvent himself in whatever way that he so chooses”.
“But he is wrong in terms of the trajectory, I think, when you look at people in Northern Ireland voting for nationalist parties, that hasn’t moved since 1998, still in and around the 40%, that hasn’t increased,” she said.
“And while there’s more complexity in terms of the voting beyond that, everyone else is either voting for a proactively Unionist party or parties who explicitly say that they do not want to be focused or agitate for constitutional change.
“There hasn’t been any significant shift in that. There’s nothing, in my view, to say that the trajectory is such that this inevitability. I don’t accept that it is an inevitability, but for my part, I do believe that the focus should be on around uniting the people of Northern Ireland together.
“That very much a focus on reconciliation, but a focus on actually serving their needs.
“While others are preoccupied by these big constitutional debates, for me, it should be about getting on and actually delivering the education system our people want.
“The tackling those big health waiting lists, tackling those big issues that face us here in Northern Ireland, because that’s what’s impacting on people’s lives, day in and day out.”
Taosieach Micheal Martin said his focus is on the “reconciliation” between all traditions on the island, as well as the United Kingdom and Ireland’s relationship.
“I’m very much focused on the hard ground, building relationships. I think what we’re doing today is part of that agenda,” he said.
“I’m not going to anticipate what’s going to happen in the British election in two or three years time.
“I’ve often said to Leo, don’t always be obsessed with the opinion polls, because they give a different result.
“My own experience bears that out. Point is, I don’t know what is going to happen in the British election.”
He added: “Our agenda has to be to try and use the this moment to advance issues of common interest and to get things done.
“We have witnessed a significant change in the relationship between the United Kingdom government and the Irish Government on a number of fronts.”
Tanaiste Simon Harris said that every taoiseach aspires to see “our country united”.
He added: “But we do have a huge amount of work to do, and I share the Taoiseach’s view in relation to that body of work.
“At the moment, I think relations between the British and Irish governments are at the best they have been in a very long time.
“We have good and honourable interlocutors in London working with, I hope, what they find to be good and honourable interlocutors in Dublin and in Belfast.
“So whilst I certainly don’t think Leo’s comments are wrong, I think that’s where the focus of the Irish Government is at in the here and now.”
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the “prudent” thing to do is to plan for what is “potentially” happening in years to come.
She said it is possible to “chew gum and walk at the same time”.
“I think we can have good relationships, build good relationships. That’s always going to be a good thing,” the Sinn Fein MLA said.
“I think we can cooperate on our own mutual interest that we’re talking about today here at the North South Ministerial Council.
“Equally, I think we have to plan for constitutional change and set out the argument so people can make mature, rational decisions about what world they see themselves.
“We all have a stake in the future, so let’s now plan for it.”
