United Ireland debate should focus on opportunities not costs, says Tánaiste

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

The debate around a united Ireland should not be a question of what it would cost, but what a united Ireland could create, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.

Harris was addressing the Dáil during a debate on the fiscal implications of unification.

He told the Dáil he believes there will be a referendum on unification and when it is held “one of the big issues of debate is going to be the issues around the economy”.

The question is not simply what a united Ireland would cost, but what a united Ireland could create

Last month, the Fine Gael leader said his party is creating a “blueprint” for unification which will be announced later this year.

On Thursday, he outlined his position as Minister for Finance and said: “The debate that we need to have from a fiscal point of view needs to be informed by evidence, needs to be informed by analysis on the opportunities and the challenges that constitutional change may bring.”

The Tánaiste said that while people “look for very clear and very straightforward answers in relation to fiscal costs", it is a “very dynamic situation” and that “recent studies on the impacts reach widely different conclusions”.

“I think it is an important debate,” he said, “but sometimes reduced to a lazy debate” where people look for “one singular figure that answers all of these complex fiscal questions”.

He said while there are “important considerations” and they must be “honestly assessed” and "scrutinised", they are “only one part of a much larger economic picture”.

“The question is not simply what a united Ireland would cost, but what a united Ireland could create.”

One of the most “significant opportunities, I believe, lies in services," he said and added that a united Ireland could provide access to the EU single market for businesses in Northern Ireland.

Labour mobility could also “become a powerful driver of economic growth”, he said.

“We have a porous border where people move quite rightly across the island, but they don’t do it with absolute ease, and there are a number of regulatory, taxation and employment challenges that are faced”.

In addition, he said if the euro was used across the island it would “eliminate exchange rate risk, would reduce transaction costs for businesses and for consumers, and would simplify cross-border trade and investment”.

Research “consistently” highlights the “ultimate fiscal outcome will depend heavily on the terms of any reunification settlement”.

“These outcomes are not predetermined,” he said.

For me, the question isn't whether or not we can afford Irish unity. It's really a question: Can we afford partition any longer?

“They will be shaped by the policy choices we make, the policies we pursue, and the decisions we make.”

There was a rare cordial and cooperative moment between Opposition and Government in the Dáil when Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald opened her speech by “sincerely” thanking Mr Harris for his “constructive” comments.

She said she found it “very, very refreshing” that he had “advocated” and “embraced” the conversation.

“I think that is exactly where we need to be, and I want to commend you actually for this,” she said.

“I think this is a very, very significant moment for all of us.”

Outlining her position, Ms McDonald said: “For me, the question isn’t whether or not we can afford Irish unity.

“It’s really a question: Can we afford partition any longer?”

She said she “completely” agreed with Mr Harris that “preparation is key”.

“You said rigorous analysis. You said planning. You said open, inclusive discussion.

“Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Again, I agree entirely with you on that.”