Public affairs and political communications consultant. Speech-writer. Former Irish Govt Adviser (2004-10). Occasional columnist and commentator: Broadsheet.ie, RTÉ.
Here is a slightly edited (i.e. condensed) clip of my appearance on the BBC Radio Ulster Talkback show where I joined Aoife Moore, Gregory Campbell MP and DUP founder Wallace Thompson to discuss comments made by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on the BBC’s Borderland podcast where he said that the current Irish government was guilty of putting up an “artificial barrier” to a referendum on a united Ireland.
As reported on the BBC NI website, Varadkar asserts that Taoiseach Micheál Martin is not prepared to push forward with work on preparing for unity until there was “total reconciliation” across the island – something which his predecessor said may never be possible. “This is where I differ with Micheál Martin,” said Leo Varadkar.
Though I disagree with Micheál Martin on many issues and quit Fianna Fáil in 2020 because of irreconcilable disagreements on several political issues, including Martin’s approach to unity and Northern Ireland, I think Varadkar’s criticism goes far too far and is
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