THE Irish prime minister has said his government would refuse a Sinn Fein-led bill that would have mandated the production of a report into how the government could work towards unification, citing the SNP's unsuccessful 2014 independence campaign as a reason to block the legislation.
Micheal Martin, the prime minister of Ireland, said his party will oppose the bill because "it would do little to achieve its objective, and it will commit us to an approach that has failed repeatedly over the last hundred years".
He went on to say "the harsh fact is that the approach contained in this bill is almost exactly the one that did not deliver constitutional change [in Scotland], in spite of a seven-year referendum campaign. "
The bill calls for a green paper to be produced about the prospect of Irish unity within 18 months and the convening of a 99-person Citizens’ Assembly.
Martin, who supports reunification but has been criticised for moving too slowly, went on to say that the timeframe set out – 18 months for a green paper, and a year for reports into several areas like the replacement of Pound Sterling in Northern Ireland, education and the economy – "is obviously not credible".
"The idea that we can finish building rigorous and independent data in 18 months and then answer questions on people's incomes and the structure of the economy is obviously not serious", he added, before labelling a citizen's assembly as "not the appropriate mechanism" of gathering a broad survey of the public's views.
He went on to criticise a perceived dependence on an fractures in the Westminster political system, saying: "A policy of 'one more push' and hoping for an unpopular government in London will achieve nothing."
Introducing the bill in Ireland's lower house, the Dail Eireann, Sinn Fein's leader Mary Lou McDonald said "Britain's union is now under unprecedented pressure", drawing attention to the election of pro-independence parties in the Northern Irish, Welsh and Scottish parliaments.
She said: "Britain's union is now under unprecedented pressure. We now have pro-independence first ministers in the north of Ireland, in Scotland and in Wales, all of whom see a future beyond Westminster, and the post-Brexit chaos that has dominated British politics, or more accurately English politics, for a decade now.
"All who want a future where the people of our nations choose our destinies. That is our common cause."
She went on to say that the Irish government should now work towards setting a date for an official border poll, saying "the government really shouldn't stand against this tide of change.
"It should embrace it, in fact, it should lead it.
"Good government after all is about recognising threats, and weaknesses, but more importantly about identifying opportunities and grasping them.
"We need to recognise that a united Ireland is the greatest opportunity of our generation. It is the big idea for our future.
"The question is not if there will be unity referendums, but when those referendums will be held.
"The far bigger question is will we be prepared for an informed, inclusive process of transition."
She went on to say that: "Partition failed the people of Ireland and we all have a responsibility now to plan and prepare for unity.
"To lay the foundations of the nation we wish to pass on to our children, and they to theirs.
"So let's not miss this moment, let's work to ensure that the government of Ireland, and this Oireachtas (parliament) becomes the lead driver of reunification in our time. Let's now walk this length of the journey with confidence, with hope and with real purpose. That is what this legislation is about."
Speaking during the meeting of the Dial, finance minister Simon Harris said "I do not believe we need a bill to prepare" but insisted he will commit to "continue working across this house with party leaders from all parties in government and opposition to advance the conversation that is underway, the conversation that will continue, preparation that is required."
