Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has criticised Taoiseach Micheál Martin after he reportedly told Fianna Fáil members to push back against calls for a border poll. The comments were made during the party's centenary tour in Tipperary, according to reports.

Ms McDonald said the Taoiseach's stance was at odds with the democratic pathway to Irish unity set out in the Good Friday Agreement. She argued that the responsible approach for an Irish government was to prepare for the possibility of unity so that change would be planned and orderly.

The Sinn Féin leader said constitutional change was coming and that a Taoiseach should not avoid the issue. She pointed to the absence of a government Green Paper on unity, structured dialogue with communities in Northern Ireland and the Republic, and work on healthcare, public services, taxation and pensions. She also said the Shared Island initiative had excluded the constitutional question.

Separately, Sinn Féin economy minister Conor Murphy said powersharing was in a precarious place and that there was a danger the institutions could fail if they were not reformed. DUP leader Gavin Robinson responded that his party remained committed to the institutions and to delivery. First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she had no intention of bringing down Stormont.

Political analysts said there was little evidence that parties would benefit from a collapse. Jon Tonge, professor of politics at Liverpool University, said there was no clear evidence parties gain from suspension. Commentator Chris Donnelly said he did not expect Stormont to fall before the next Assembly election unless there was an unintended consequence. He described the current situation at Stormont as a mess.

Since the 2022 Assembly election, Stormont has passed 16 pieces of legislation. Northern Ireland is in financial crisis and the Executive is operating without a budget, with the only solution being to ask the UK government for more money.

Research from Liverpool University in 2024 found that 26 percent of people were satisfied with the Assembly or Executive, and 19 percent were confident it would not collapse again. However, 83 percent believed powersharing remained the best basis for governing Northern Ireland, and 57 percent felt it required changes.

Alliance and the SDLP have long advocated reform, while Sinn Féin has more recently supported changes. UUP leader Jon Burrows is open to reform. DUP leader Gavin Robinson has emphasised a need for cultural change over institutional reform.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in Belfast on August 6 that the Irish and British governments had to work together to bring forward legislation to reform the institutions. The Stormont institutions and the Belfast Agreement are approaching their 30th anniversary.