A motion for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) to hold a preferendum on Irish reunification passed at tonight’s meeting of the union’s council.
The motion, proposed by BESS student Conall Moran in light of political developments such as Brexit, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scandal and the North’s imminent election, stated the topic would “soon be a very prominent student issue” as in the likelihood of a hard Brexit, an increase in fees for Northern Irish students and difficulties in travel would arise.
Stating that Northern Ireland is closer than ever to the type of referendum anticipated by the Good Friday Agreement, which could lead to a united Ireland, he said that “Trinity taking a stance on the issue is a great way to bring the matter into the limelight”. Moran also recalled past comments made by the Provost three years ago which called for Trinity to be “a university for the whole island of Ireland”.
The preferendum will have three options: in favour of reunification, against reunification and a neutral stance.
To pass, the motion needed a two-thirds majority and will have to be put to students within a month.
A number of class representatives spoke against the issue calling it too divisive, with one student saying that “taking a stance either way would alienate too many people, cause too much upset ”. However, it was argued that just because an issue is divisive doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t talk about it the union has taken stances on divisive issues in the past, such as the union support of repealing the eighth amendment without causing undue alienation or division amongst students.
A similar referendum was held in Queen’s University Belfast in 2014. Of the university’s 24, 955 students, 1,264 voted for the Sinn Fein motion that the union become pro-Irish unity, with 1,285 voters voting against it.
Welfare Officer Aoibhinn Ni Loughlin spoke on the issue saying “Having a lot of people who never lived in Northern Ireland speaking like a bunch of men in the Dàil say what I have to with my body. Northerners are a minority group. I can’t describe the kind of alienation. Brexit is making it even worse, so please support this motion”.
There is a strong presence of Northern Irish students in Trinity. In 2015/16 there were a total of 755 CAO applicants from Northern Ireland with 93 students overall taking a place in Trinity. This figure has been rising since 2013 when the Provost established the Northern Ireland Engagement Programme (NIEP) with an aim to increasing the numbers of undergraduate students in Northern Ireland. Figures for 2014/15 showed 292 of Trinity’s undergraduate students listed a Northern Ireland home address.
On Wednesday, February 8th the English House of Commons passed a bill allowing Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. It is in triggering Article 50 that Brexit proceedings will begin. This leaves Northern Ireland in an uncertain position, as The Good Friday Agreement was set up under a European structure. What this would mean for Trinity students who are from Northern Ireland, and may be about to lose their EU citizenship is a question.
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was a Northern Ireland scheme aimed at increasing Northern Ireland’s use of renewable energy. The scheme however, due to a poorly developed structure instead incentivised people to waste fuel. This RHI scandal has led to the protest resignation of Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. The election which will take place on March 2nd.
The idea of a “hard border” being implemented between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has come up repeatedly in the time since Britain voted to leave the EU.
