The Taoiseach stood by his comments that he believes there will be a united Ireland in his lifetime, reports Breaking News.
Leo Varadkar also said he believed “we are on the path to unification”, sparking criticism from the unionist community in the North.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris appeared to describe the comments, as well as suggestions to consider a Plan B to restore power sharing, as “unhelpful”.
Speaking in Belfast on Monday, Varadkar cut his comments short by saying, “not the first time I have expressed my view that I would like to see a united Ireland in my lifetime”, reports Breaking News.
Stormont remains in virtual collapse and the DUP continues to refuse to participate in a power-sharing government until it is satisfied that Northern Ireland is adequately protected in a post-Brexit arrangement.
But Mr Varadkar said: “Every time I say it, it is not the right time. So I would often ask the question, when is the right time? I stated very clearly that I believe the success of a united Ireland would be judged on how we treat our minorities. That is how you judge the success of states,” reports Breaking News.
“In a united Ireland there would be one million people who are British. They don’t just identify as British, they are British. That is their culture, that is their heritage, and we in the south need to talk a lot more about what we would do to make sure they feel included, feel wanted, would put their effort behind a united Ireland and not seek to oppose it,” reports Breaking News.
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