My colleague Alex Kane has argued that it is time for a rethink by nationalists on Irish unity.

He correctly described the 2019 conference ‘Beyond Brexit – The Future of Ireland’ as “an incredibly significant shift in local nationalist dynamics”.

He’s right too that it was the most important gathering of nationalist political and civic groups this century.

But here’s why. It marked the beginning of the end of 20th century politics here.

Deirdre Heenan: If MLAs had an ounce of self-awareness, they would reject their unjust pay rise

Tom Collins: Enough is enough – It’s time for the world to stand up to Trump

Alex expresses scepticism about either Sinn Féin or the SDLP having any long-term political or electoral interest in the Assembly/Executive. Correct.

It’s not because of DUP obstruction or delaying tactics. It’s because an assembly in the north is 20th century politics.

‘The northern parliament of Ireland’, as it was known in 1921, was intended to be temporary.

It didn’t work. It doesn’t work. It will never work. The evidence is in front of our eyes.

Every time some version of it collapsed – 1972, 1974, 1982, and every couple of years for the last generation – the British government, with the pathetic connivance of Dublin, scrambled to put Humpty together again.

It’s a 20th century solution which was never intended to be permanent.

Now, just as 20th century politics has collapsed here, so also is it collapsing in Britain.

The century-old automatic, Labour-supporting working-class has gone. The sentimental Tory attachment to the north has gone too.

No-one can remember why the north exists as a sub-polity of the UK.

The “post-2016 enthusiasm for Irish unity” has not, as Alex asserts, “dampened down”.

In fact, the NI Life & Times survey last year showed the gap between those favouring reunification and those maintaining the union halved in the previous year.

At this rate the latest ARINS polling predicts majority support for reunification in both communities by 2027.

Now, as 20th century British politics rapidly comes to an end, after May the existence of Britain will be called into question by the results of the Scottish parliament and Welsh Senedd elections.

Westminster is going to be looking at all its dependencies run by parties which want to leave: Sinn Féin, SNP and Plaid Cymru.

Alex asks why don’t the assembly parties jointly commit themselves to something as close as possible to good government?

That’s 20th century thinking, stuck in the past.

This place doesn’t work. It was designed as a temporary fix so Britain could get out of Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement is their exit route.

Politics is dynamic. The new beginning here was the Beyond Brexit conference in Waterfront Hall in 2019. The last six years have moved the needle on the dial.

That’s why in 2024 an Oireachtas all-party committee recommended in its report that the government begin “immediately” to plan for a border poll.

Look to 21st century politics.

If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article and would like to submit a Letter to the Editor to be considered for publication, please click here.

Letters to the Editor are invited on any subject. They should be authenticated with a full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Pen names are not allowed.

© The Irish News