Sinn Féin launches new island unity campaign
Sinn Féin launched a global campaign to reunify Ireland today with the claim that many unionists are open to their plans.
Unionists in the North's business community were particularly persuaded about the benefits of an all-island economy, according to senior party member Conor Murphy.
The Stormont Regional Development Minister said its campaign will include Irish diaspora events around the world, with conferences in the US, Australia, England and Scotland.
“I think in many senses, with quite a lot of unionism, the quieter element of unionism that isn’t perhaps heard so often, we are pushing at an open door with some of them,” he said.
Mr Murphy will head the party’s new international campaign along with the party’s Donegal senator Pearse Doherty.
They insisted it made economic sense to have a united Ireland.
“At a time like this, given the current economic difficulties, people may ask is this affordable at this stage?” said Mr Murphy.
“I would argue there is more of an impetus in actually trying to sustain the economic future of this island through dismantling things which hinder economic development on the island.”
Mr Doherty added: “It makes complete nonsense to have a country of six million people divided, running two different systems, health systems, tourism systems, infrastructure systems, it makes no sense whatsoever.”
Party leader Gerry Adams will attend the first gathering in New York tomorrow at which former Beirut hostage Brian Keenan will speak.
Another event will be staged in London in July.
