Two North Antrim MLAs have spoken out on Irish Unity following the release today of the latest Census 2021 data.
The Census results revealed that combining current religion and religion of upbringing, 45.7% of our population were ‘Catholic’, 43.5% were ‘Protestant, Other Christian or Christian related’ and 1.5% were from other non-Christian religions.
Commenting on the 2021 Census results, TUV leader Jim Allister said:
“The fact that the Catholic population in Northern Ireland has flourished presents a telling contrast with the near extinction of the Protestant population in the Republic.
“Those who make a read across from the Catholic population to support for Irish unity demonstrate for them just how sectarian that project is.
“The rise in the number of people identifying as Catholics has been going on for decades and yet the nationalist vote in this year’s Assembly election is almost identical to that in the first Assembly election in 1998.“The Union is a union with benefits for all, ranging from free medical care to financial wherewithal when it comes to Covid or energy crisis assistance.”
Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan has said the Census results make clear that ‘now is the time to engage and prepare for a new future for the benefit of everyone living on this island.’
The North Antrim MLA said: “Politically, socially and economically it makes sense to build a better future for all the people who live on this island. The conversation about positive change has an unstoppable momentum and the results from the census are a further signal that old premises are gone. Historic change is happening and therefore it is incumbent on us all to plan and prepare for a brighter, fairer, more prosperous constitutional future.
“The Irish government should establish a Citizens’ Assembly to plan for the possibility of a Unity referendum.”
