The Northern Ireland Assembly, also known as Stormont Assembly, which has been in a state of suspension for over three years, may face closure if members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continue their boycott. Warning of such a possibility, a peer has expressed concern about the implications of the DUP’s boycott and cautioned against the potential fallout that could result from it. The DUP, which has already abstained from power-sharing talks for almost two years, may be the primary cause for the executive committee’s absence, potentially costing the citizens of Northern Ireland their essential government services, including healthcare, education, and justice.
The boycott of the Stormont Assembly by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) could result in the permanent loss of Northern Ireland’s powersharing institutions, according to UUP peer Lord Reg Empey. The DUP launched the boycott in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements that it claimed were detrimental to Northern Ireland, with the party continuing to withhold support despite the UK government and EU releasing the Windsor Framework earlier this year to ease some of the trading problems the arrangements had caused. The UUP supported remaining in the EU and Lord Empey referred to Brexit as a “complete disaster” for Northern Ireland, stating that everything that had happened since the referendum was foreseeable. Lord Empey said his party had warned former prime minister David Cameron prior to the referendum that no plan had been devised in the event of a vote to leave the EU.
Lord Empey blamed the DUP for the failure to plan and stated, “You couldn’t fill the back of a postage stamp with the benefits that we have received from Brexit. It has been a complete disaster”. He added, “There is nothing wrong in principle with leaving the EU, but the way it was done was terrible”. The losses Northern Ireland has already experienced due to Brexit have resulted in animosity towards the UK government and have thrown into doubt the prospect of the UK retaining the province in the union. The DUP, traditionally a key power bloc in Northern Ireland, would have to take responsibility for any moves towards leaving the UK.
The Stormont institutions, intended to share power between Northern Ireland’s unionist and nationalist communities, collapsed last year due to the DUP’s stance on post-Brexit trading arrangements. As Lord Empey noted, the move effectively closed down “the most obvious symbol of unionism in Northern Ireland.” However, the prospect of permanently losing the institutions appears to be drawing closer due to the continuing boycott. Lord Empey urged the UUP to help end the boycott, warning that if it is allowed to continue then sooner or later it will stop and not come back. He dismissed the idea of a return to direct rule from Westminster, stating that when institutions are lost due to boycotts, they do not return in their previous form.
As a former leader of the UUP, Lord Empey emphasised the importance of negotiation and being involved in decision-making. If the DUP maintains its stance, the UUP could become the main unionist group in Northern Ireland. Lord Empey called for the members of the Assembly to maintain the institutions, stating that if the institutions are kept functioning, there is a chance of improvement, but if they are abandoned, there is no hope of any change being achieved. He warned that the loss of the powersharing institutions could lead to unionism losing control over its direction. The consequences for Northern Ireland and potentially for the UK could become more significant if the boycott continues.
