Debate contribution: European Future for Northern Ireland

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 2 June 2025.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

2 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

European Future for Northern Ireland

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4981547

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to what has been an interesting and exciting debate. I wholeheartedly push back on the notion that discussing the constitutional question is inherently negative. It is being perceived today as something that, by its nature, is problematic or controversial: I could not disagree more. I was born and raised on this island. I am a passionate Irish nationalist, and, as a nationalist, I like to talk about our constitutional future on this island, as is my right. I respect the right, ability and position of my unionist colleagues to argue against me, because, whichever way we cut it, we all call this place "home" and are allowed to take pride in our political and cultural identity and in our constitutional belief. That is neither controversial nor divisive; it is our birthright, having being born here. Although it may be politically beneficial for some Members to strike down anyone who speaks about a brighter future in a new Ireland while they, on the fence, are perceived as the good guys who care about the here and now, I see it differently. Those who condemn the motion being discussed today are enablers for no change. They are the maintainers of the status quo, and they are arguably the very deniers of true, tangible change being achieved on this island. Another good point is that the Good Friday Agreement is the backbone of this Building. It allows us to live in peace and gives us the freedom to identify as Irish, as British and as both.

Not at this time, no. It provides us with the right to self-determination on which the SDLP led in 1998. If Members feel that that makes us irrelevant, they should feel free to thank us and the UUP on the way out for the peace that we helped to secure. The argument against talking about a new Ireland in Europe is fundamentally flawed. To state that any discussion of our political future is divisive is not only foolish but entirely incorrect, and it does a disservice to the very essence of the Good Friday Agreement. Painting anyone who wishes to engage in political discussions on such matters as troublemakers, as problematic or as stuck in the past is politically shrewd, but it is painfully transparent. While everyone else is the big bad wolf for talking about the constitutional question, a certain party claims to be focused on the everyday issues. Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I am here to say that, thankfully, we in the SDLP can walk and chew gum. We can do both and have done so since 1998, and we have had a backbone while doing it. Northern Ireland is struggling to work. That is self-evident from the waiting lists, the unacceptable lack of support for those in need and much more. There is another way to provide a better life for our people here. We in the SDLP believe firmly that that is in a new Ireland in Europe, and we will not feel awkward or ashamed or be painted as being divisive for believing so. In 1973, Ireland and the United Kingdom took a bold and visionary step by joining the European Economic Community. That move was more than economic; it was symbolic. It represented a conscious choice by both states to move forward on a shared path of peace, prosperity and partnership. Membership of the EU helped the UK secure billions in foreign direct investment and opened its doors to many of the best and brightest minds across Europe who call here "home". Moreover, European integration was the context in which peace was delivered. It helped soften borders, reduce tensions and foster cross-border institutions and solutions. The EU was not a bystander to peace: it was, in many ways, a guarantor of peace. We feel strongly that there is only one real alternative in which Northern Ireland and its people can decisively effect change. That is within a European future, which the majority of our people want. It is vital that all of us recognise that our interests are better served as part of a new Ireland back in Europe. How long will our children in the North look to the South — at a thriving economy and a stable government, with endless opportunities — while we in the North can offer our young people so little? That is reflected in the brain drain. Our future belongs in the united new Ireland, and I firmly believe that we will see it in our lifetime. There is still time for those on the fence to recognise the benefits that it can bring to all of us across all of our communities.

784 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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