"We must put forward a positive, optimistic, and properly planned vision for the future," Colum Eastwood says.
MP Colum Eastwood, Chair of the New Ireland Commission, says the Irish unity movement can learn lessons from this week's US midterm elections, which saw Democrats overwhelmingly win control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives from Republicans, a staggering rebuke of US President Donald Trump's second administration.
Established by Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in 2021, the New Ireland Commission holds discussions with citizens on the possibilities of a United Ireland.
“As the hard work continues to prepare for a New Ireland, there are many lessons we can learn from the recent US midterm elections," Eastwood, who was head of the SDLP when the New Ireland Commission was established, said on Wednesday, the day after the US midterms.
"What we saw was a clear rejection of the politics of division and hate, with voters in their millions choosing hope, positivity and the chance of a better future over the worst excesses of the Trump regime.
“People in the US made choices based on the issues that really matter to them and their families. They did not allow fear or scaremongering to dominate the debate but instead backed politicians who made a positive case to make the US a fairer place to live and work, where people do not have to worry about how they will pay for healthcare, put food on the table, or fuel in their cars.
“That is the same message we need to grasp as part of our work to convince families across this island that their best future lies within a New Ireland.
"We cannot allow this conversation to be dominated by those who want to keep us entrenched in the past or by the politics of division. We must put forward a positive, optimistic and properly planned vision for the future, addressing people's concerns and showing how a New Ireland can deliver a better future for everyone.
"People must have the confidence to choose a New Ireland, sure in the knowledge it will be better than what came before.”