Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said it is “unbelievable” that the Irish government has failed to plan for a united Ireland.
r Adams told an Oireachtas committee that Taoiseach Micheál Martin had “missed his chance” to hold a citizens’ meeting on the matter and that it is now up to the new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Mr. Adams appeared before the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement Committee on Thursday as one of the architects of the agreement.
It has been almost three years since Mr Adams retired as a TD and almost five years since he was chairman of the Sinn Fein party.
The committee heard that “critical” elements of the Good Friday Agreement had yet to be implemented nearly 25 years after it was signed, including a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and a Charter of Rights for the island of Ireland.
Adams was critical of successive Tory governments in Britain, accusing them of “de-manning” human rights in Northern Ireland.
“I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that this Tory government and recent Tory governments are not really investing in the Good Friday Agreement,” he said.
“In fact, it is the policy of the Tory government in London to negate the human rights elements of the agreement.”
Mr Adams was also critical of the Irish government, describing the lack of action in preparing a border poll as “incredibly short-sighted”.
“To this day, no Irish government has developed a strategy to build a new and inclusive Ireland and achieve Irish unity,” he told TDs and Senators.
“Now there is a mechanism to achieve this. The lack of planning by the Irish government is indefensible. It is incredibly short-sighted.”
He called on the government to set up “a citizens’ assembly or series of such assemblies” and then set a date for a referendum on the future, saying it “makes sense”.
“Very few countries get the chance to start over… Most leaders with a vision for the future would seize this opportunity carefully and diligently, but not here,” Adams said.
“Political parties that have been eager to hold power in the state since the partition do not want to give up this power.
“That is why our outgoing Taoiseach Micheál Martin refuses to organize a citizens’ assembly to make plans for the future.”
He later told committee members: “It’s just unbelievable… the main thing is that nobody wants, we certainly don’t want, a referendum that was called out of the blue.”
Mr Adams added: “It’s just a good idea that there should be a citizens’ meeting. And that challenge will now be for Leo Varadkar. Micheál (Martin) missed his chance.”