Tanaiste Leo Varadkar was all smiles as he posed with Cold Feet actor Jimmy Nesbitt at an Irish unity conference yesterday.
The Fine Gael leader shared the snap on Instagram – as Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he’d “no regrets” at not attending. Mr Martin was instead at Fianna Fail’s Ard Fheis at the RDS in Dublin, just over a mile away from the Ireland’s Future event.
Mr Martin said he had no interest in being “brow-beaten” into attending the large conference at the 3Arena. There were around 5,000 people at the sold-out gig organised by Senator Frances Black.
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The conference featured speakers from 10 main political parties – including five party leaders – all in support of constitutional change. Ballymena actor Nesbitt delivered the keynote speech with contributions from Mr Varadkar, Sinn Fein chief Mary Lou McDonald, FF’s Jim O’Callaghan and actor Colm Meaney.
There were no unionist leaders or members of the Alliance Party present. Mr Varadkar was booed briefly during his short speech when he made reference to continued ties to Britain in a united Ireland.
He said: “We could continue to have North-South bodies and East-West co-operation.” Ms McDonald made a speech that was also short, but she received a standing ovation.
She told the Ireland’s Future conference that a citizen’s assembly on Irish unity should be convened. She said: “The days of treading water are over.
"This is a time for leadership, a time for energy and action. It is time for the Government to establish a Citizen’s Assembly on Irish unity and to urgently plan for constitutional change and unity referendums.”
Nesbitt said the debate about Northern Ireland’s constitutional future should be led by people not politicians. Nesbitt, who comes from a Protestant/unionist background, said the phrase “united Ireland” was viewed by some unionists as incendiary and suggested the term “Union of Ireland” might be more palatable for his community.
He said: “I suppose to many from my background talk of a united Ireland is difficult, but the conversation is out there.” Nesbitt suggested the time could be right to view the debate in a “post unionism and post nationalism” context.
He added: “I believe, I firmly believe that we need to bring this discussion out of the Dail, out of Stormont, out of Whitehall, out of academic fora and into the village halls and town halls, the church halls, the Orange halls.
“I think, that any change must be people led and solutions cannot be forced on those people. If we should have learnt anything from history, we should have learnt that.”
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