The Irish Times view on Micheál Martin’s constitutional initiative: a positive development

On the face of it, the Taoiseach’s announcement that he will establish a new body to research the island’s possible constitutional futures represents a significant shift in official thinking. All-island constitutional change has been the subject of some debate in recent years among political parties, academics and across civil society. But it is more than 40 years since an Irish government devoted resources to the question, in the shape of the New Ireland Forum of 1983-84.

Micheál Martin has given only a broad outline so far of how the initiative will operate. Housed in his own department, and drawing on academic expertise with civil service support, it will weigh three scenarios. These are a unitary 32-county state, a united Ireland in which Northern Ireland retains its own devolved institutions, and the continuation of the union with Britain. Each will be tested against the same criteria, from law and public services to the economic cost, security, and the vexed question of flags and symbols.

All of this is of a piece with the Taoiseach’s well-advertised antipathy to what he regards as premature and counterproductive calls for rapid preparation for a unity referendum. He is scathing about Sinn Féin’s demand for a Green Paper on unification within 18 months and a Citizens’ Assembly, which he dismisses as lacking credibility and repeating an approach that has failed for a century.

Those sentiments are clearly deeply held and will find support among voters wary of slogans about inevitability. But there is also an element of political calculation at work. Next weekend Fine Gael holds its ardfheis in Martin’s home city of Cork, where members will be presented with the blueprint for a unified island promised by Simon Harris in June. That announcement prompted considerable irritation in Fianna Fáil, where TDs privately complained of being outflanked. Martin’s putative successor, Jim O’Callaghan, had already told a Belfast audience the next government should begin preparing for unity.

Political events north of the Border, where the Executive is again under strain amid the Drumcree dispute and an unresolved budget, may also be relevant to Martin’s timing. It is hard to disagree with his view that the institutions now require structural reform.

What some may see as caution can be viewed more positively as a more realistic and comprehensive strategy. Rather than focusing solely on reunification, it takes in the current state of North-South and East-West relationships, the present reality of Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom and the need to give unionists a genuine stake in the conversation. Its success will depend on the quality and depth of the research and the willingness of different stakeholders to engage.