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Former Sinn F\u00e9in leader Gerry Adams has made a fresh call for a referendum on a united Ireland.<\/p>\nFormer Sinn F\u00e9in leader Gerry Adams has made a fresh call for a referendum on a united Ireland.<\/p>\n
The call comes just weeks after Taoiseach Leo Varakdar said such a poll would be \u201cdivisive\u201d and a \u201cbad idea\u201d.<\/p>\n
Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, a referendum can be called if the Secretary of State believes a majority of people in the North no longer want to remain part of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Former DUP leader Peter Robinson suggested in June that holding fixed generational polls on Irish unification as a way to stabilize politics in the North.<\/p>\n
However, the ex-First Minister said he felt very confident that citizens would choose to stay within the UK.<\/p>\n
A recent opinion poll, conducted for former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft, found that a majority of voters in the North believe that the UK\u2019s vote to leave the EU had made unification with the Ireland more likely in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n
It found a majority of just five points in the North for staying in the UK, with 49% saying they would vote for the Union and 44% for Irish unification if a referendum was held now.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Sunday at an annual republican commemoration in Mullaghban, Co Armagh, Mr Adams renewed his party\u2019s call for a referendum to be called.<\/p>\n
The commemoration was for a number of republicans killed during the Troubles.<\/p>\n
A stone was also unveiled in honor of former deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who officially opened the memorial garden in 2010.<\/p>\n
Mr Adams condemned the DUP for their supply and confidence deal with the Conservative Party.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DUP have tied themselves to the English Tories; they embrace Brexit. They continue to deny citizens\u2019 rights enjoyed elsewhere on these islands. But that will all be sorted. Of that there is no doubt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can say with certainty that the DUP position is not sustainable. It is for them to come to terms with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone here knows that the Taoiseach\u2019s position on the North, the border and rights is a direct consequence of the strength of Sinn Fein. So we will persist and we will prevail.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also reject Mr Varadkar\u2019s suggestion that a referendum on Irish unity is not desirable at this time. He has a duty to uphold the Good Friday Agreement. He cannot cherry-pick it. So we will continue to look for a referendum and we will do our utmost to win that convincingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Adams went on to urge other parties to speak out in favor of an Irish unity poll.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a task for Sinn Fein alone. All political parties and others who support the Good Friday Agreement and an end to partition should also campaign for this modest step forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow a shared Ireland, an agreed Ireland is created is another matter deserving of careful, generous and positive inclusivity. To begin with we need to understand that many unionists hold to their sense of identity as strongly as we do. So new thinking is needed by us all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a diverse people. That should be proudly proclaimed and not used to divide us. Ireland is an island \u2013 a society \u2013 in transition. The future is bright despite the dire threats of Brexit.\u201d<\/p>\n