Ireland’s Republican party, Sinn Fein, has enjoyed historic electoral success in Northern Ireland. Now she is aiming for the reunification of the region with the Republic of Ireland. British politics is already in turmoil.
Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), hailed its first victory in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections as a “defining moment” for the British-controlled region and called for a debate on a united Ireland. The Irish republican party Sinn Fein led the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) by 27 to 24 seats. This makes Sinn Fein the first Irish nationalist party to hold a majority in the regional parliament.
“Today represents a very significant moment of change. It is a pivotal moment in our politics and for our people,” said Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill, whose party received 29 per cent of the first preference vote during the unionist DUP was only able to secure 21.3 percent of the votes. She said there should now be an “honest debate” on the party’s aim of uniting the area with the Republic of Ireland.
Victory will not change the region’s status as the referendum required to leave the UK is at the discretion of the UK government and is likely to take years to come. The symbolic significance is enormous, however, as it marks the end of centuries of dominance by pro-British parties, which were largely supported by the region’s Protestant population. The DUP, a leading supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union, saw its support undermined in part because of its role in the post-Brexit London-Brussels talks that resulted in trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
According to the “Daily MailThe EU warned that action on the Brexit protocol cannot be postponed after Sinn Fein won the Northern Ireland election for the first time. The deputy prime minister reiterated the threat to unilaterally lift the “divorce terms” after the Irish Republican Party won a hitherto unthinkable victory and whose leader Michelle O’Neill is now set to be appointed First Minister. He also downplayed Sinn Fein’s push for a referendum on Irish unification, stressing that 58 percent of the province voted for parties that do not support constitutional amendment.
One of the reasons for Sinn Fein’s strong performance is likely to be Brexit, as well as the ongoing problems with the border crossings to the Republic of Ireland. Quite a few people in Northern Ireland, the poorest region of the United Kingdom, can expect an economic upswing from reunification. But the unionist DUP, which is already up in arms, could continue the situation in Northern Ireland complicate. Should she not be able to come to an agreement with Sinn Fein, new elections would have to be held.
