Brendan Smith: Calls for Simultaneous Referendums and GFA Preparation
Brendan Smith, speaking as Chairman, urged that referendums in the North and South be prepared carefully and that the Good Friday Agreement be fully utilised as part of that preparation. He argued for simultaneous questions to the people but warned against allowing the British Secretary of State to set the agenda if governments are not agreed.
Simultaneous referendum concerns
He said favouring strongly the holding of a referendum North and South on the same day risks allowing the British Secretary of State to set the agenda if both governments are not agreed. He warned that if "both governments are at overheads, and if there's not an agreement towards putting that question to people, then we're in a difficult place."
Position on putting the question to the people
As a practising politician he said it would be "ludicrous not to have the question put to the people and all of this items on the same day." He emphasised the importance of the electorate having the question put to them when arrangements are clear.
Governments and institutional cooperation
He called for closer working between the Irish and British governments through existing institutional arrangements and for the political architecture to be used more fully. He said more co-operation across northern structures is needed as part of preparing for any referendum.
Good Friday Agreement as essential preparation
He argued that maximising the existing potential of the Good Friday Agreement is a necessary component in preparing for a referendum and said that its full use has not been achieved at the present time. He urged using all aspects of the Agreement to the benefit of all the people of this Ireland.
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Yeah, Brendan Smith here, Chairman. Could I just go back to, I think it was Alan made the point, that if we were to favour very strongly the holding of a referendum, the referenda, both North and South on the same day, simultaneous, that we would be allowing the British Secretary of State to set the agenda. Well now, if there's, if both governments are at overheads, and if there's not an agreement towards putting that question to people, then we're in a difficult place at that particular time. And what we want to see is that the union, that everybody will be comfortable with a referendum being held at that time. So I, I, I, my, being a practicing politician, I think it would be ludicrous not to have the question put to the people and all of this items on the same day. Could I also just mention, Tane mentioned the two words, stability and inclusivity, and I think that's extremely important. And in our earlier comment, she made the point that in, that leading up to a referendum, or at the present time, we need the Irish and British governments working more closely, through the different institutional arrangements that are in place. The political architecture is there for the government to work more closely together, and more North operations as well. Could I just say that, I have often argued, that as a necessary component in preparing for a referendum, would be maximising the existing potential of the Good Friday Agreement, which has not been done at the present time. And I would argue, using, to the very, to the benefit of all the people of this Ireland, all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement, is an essential preparation for the holding of a referendum. Thank you, Oka Heerlich.
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