Andy Burnham is a Unionist | Drumcree – Unionism Stuck in the Past | Paddy Elliott

So, should any of us have been surprised by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's crass assertions last week that the issue of the unity referendum promised in the Good Friday Agreement is one issue that will be off the table.

Well, I certainly wasn't surprised.

I was mindful that one of the last comments of our last Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, was that his government strongly supports the union.

And he went on to claim, ridiculously, that nobody is arguing that there's an appetite for constitutional change here in Northern Ireland.

So what did Mr. Berman say? Well, I recall as I watched him address the media outside 10 Downing Street on the day he replaced Keir Starmer, that I wrote that he, like every prime minister, governs in the interest of the English establishment, he, like his predecessors, is a unionist.

So as far back as England's involvement in Ireland, its policies have always been determined by British national interests, not the interests of the Irish people.

Now since his remarks, and he was just waffling, I have to say, badly briefed and doesn't say well for his grasp of these issues, but that's the way it has been with many, with some honourable exceptions, with many British political leaders.

And in the 28 years since the Good Friday Agreement, successive British governments have prevaricated and they've stalled and they've refused to accept the imperative of its commitments.

And regrettably, they have been aided in this by Irish governments and in particular by the current Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, who's refused to countenance planning for unity.

But despite this, the demand for Irish unity has grown in the political and popular discourse.

So whatever Mr Burnham thinks the right to self-determination, that's not going away.

And he has rolled back from his remarks and others from his side have rolled back also on his behalf.

But the demand hasn't gone away.

It's growing.

The strength of public opinion north and south in support for unity is here and it's solid.

On the contrary, instead of taking the issue of unity off the table, Mr Burnham's comments brought a renewed focus to it.

U.S. Congress members Brendan Boyle and Richie Neal, both stalwart defenders of the Good Friday Agreement, quickly reminded Burnham that the question of unity is for the people and for the people only.

Gordon Brown, a former British prime minister, asserted that unity is inevitable.

And a range of other political figures from within Fianna Fáil, the Social Democrats, and the Irish Labour Party were critical of Mr. Burnham.

The advocacy group, Civic Group Ireland's Future, have asked for a meeting with him, or sorry, a meeting with his Secretary of State on this issue.

And Sinn Féin, Oaktoron, Mary Lou MacDonald slammed his remarks as divisive until informed.

And last, Oaktoron, Michel O'Neill, speaking at the National Hunger Strike March in Ballina at the weekend, bluntly told him that the unity referendum is not a concession be gifted to the people of Ireland by any English politician.

One result of the blowback to Burnham, as I've said, was a hurried statement from his Downing Street office trying to defuse the row by restating his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, every part of it, including the principle of consent.

The Secretary of State, Chris Brent, also rushed to Burnham's defence, adding that the two stand full square behind all elements of the GFA, including on a border poll.

So what should our response be? I'm not naive.

There's no certainty in this process.

A united Ireland isn't inevitable.

If it was, we could go and get a life.

But if we apply ourselves strategically and effectively, our confined and combined efforts can make unity happen.

We can do it by growing the greatest possible popular and political consensus.

We can build a new Ireland that belongs to everyone, including those who value their British identity.

As Michel O'Neill told the thousands in Ballina, the new Ireland invites everyone to help shape what we can become together.

To achieve that, we need to be better organised than those who oppose unity and the Good Friday Agreement.

and that includes the British establishment.

Freedom is rarely given.

It's almost always taken by those who want it the most.

That process is well underway.

Let's keep at it.