Fine Gael justifies such a move, solely, on the basis of change of demographics within Northern Ireland while ignoring the fact that sectarian divisions continue to persist and have remained firmly intact there since the days of The Good Friday Agreement. Peace Walls are as prevalent, now as ever, throughout Northern Ireland, while paramilitary “solutions” remain on the back burner.

The reality has always been that Northern Ireland was not just founded along sectarian divisions, but along class divisions. The bourgeoisie, the factory owners, the merchants, the “bosses” , have always used this to their advantage to keep the nationalist and the loyalist working class divided.

In the meantime, the sectarian foundations of the Southern State have been plastered over by neoliberalism and vulture economics. However, the nature and methodology of exploitation remains identical in both jurisdictions – whether it be under a tricolour or union flag. Child poverty, educational disadvantage and homelessness occur in both Cork and Belfast, as does the corporate vulture greed of the bourgeoisie that gives rise to it.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland have always had their origins in the two sections of the capitalist bourgeois class manipulating conflict for their own ends: Varadkar’s proposal is just a continuation of the enrichment of the bourgeoisie and the exploitation of the working class of both communities. Given Fine Gael’s callous neoliberalism, this represents a further deepening of exploitation and exacerbation of social divisions.

At present, the working class (of both communities) has to contend with food poverty, rent extortion, housing shortages, child mortality, child homelessness, income inequality, underinvestment in public health and services, educational deprivation etc.

Fine Gael’s cynical policy only aims to amplify the wealth gap and make investment opportunities for their corporate and multinational backers.

Varadkar’s proposal is purely a get rich quick scheme for his buddies that deepens the inequalities that exist in both jurisdictions. In his term in government, in the republic, Varadkar barely held back his contempt of the working class while celebrating and revelling in his bourgeois values and lifestyle. Similarly, his “New Ireland Forum” contains all the toxic baggage of his class prejudices and deserves to be repudiated by both working class communities in Northern Ireland as well as the working class of the Republic.

The Workers Party contends that peace and prosperity for the Northern and Southern working classes can only come about through socialism and the building of class solidarity between both communities.