Sinn Féin will introduce legislation in the Dáil on Tuesday aimed at establishing a Citizens’ Assembly on Irish unity and compelling the Irish government to publish a Green Paper on constitutional change within 18 months. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald described the proposal as unique original legislation, saying a border poll is now a matter of “when, not if.”
The coalition government has agreed to oppose the bill without offering a counter motion. Irish premier Micheál Martin dismissed the bill as “not credible,” saying its approach has failed repeatedly over the past century. Fine Gael said it plans to produce its own blueprint for unity by November 2026.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill warned that voting against the bill would send a “really negative message.” The government has focused its Northern Ireland policy on supporting the Good Friday Agreement institutions and the Shared Island Initiative.