Last Saturday, Michelle O’Neill officially became the first republican who supports Irish reunification to assume the presidency of the government of Northern Ireland, which constitutes a historic shift in the British province that witnessed a bloody conflict that lasted for three decades between the mostly Catholic Republicans and the Protestant unionists.
The leader of the Sinn Fein party in Northern Ireland was appointed Prime Minister after the province’s institutions returned to work.
Institutions in Northern Ireland were disrupted for two years due to the unionists of the Democratic Unionist Party boycotting their work in objection to the post-Brexit trade arrangements with the European Union, which they considered a threat to Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom.
O’Neill (47 years old) spoke before members of Parliament who gathered at Stormont Palace in Northern Ireland about a “historic day” and a “new era,” and pledged that Parliament would be “for everyone,” stressing that “her parents’ generation could not have imagined.” That a nationalist shall head the local executive authority.
The head of the Sinn Féin party on the island of Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald, upon her arrival in Stormont, considered that the Northern Irish government “could not be in better hands.” She added, “It is a victory for everyone today, and proof that equality and inclusion are on the agenda.”
Under the Good Friday Peace Agreement signed on April 10, 1998, which ended a bloody three-decade conflict in Northern Ireland and provided for the sharing of power in it, the position of Deputy Prime Minister is assumed by Emma Little Pengelly of the Unionists. In May 2022, the nationalist Sinn Féin party topped the local elections in Northern Ireland, achieving an unprecedented transformation in its history, after it had previously been a political front for the Irish Republican Army. However, the Democratic Unionist Party’s obstruction of the work of the authorities prevented Michelle O’Neill from assuming her position.
The local government in Northern Ireland handles affairs such as housing, health, employment, agriculture and the environment, and London took over the management of daily affairs for two years due to the boycott, which caused dissatisfaction among the population.
After months of negotiations with the British government, the unionists affiliated with the Democratic Unionist Party announced this week an end to the boycott. The boycott led to the paralysis of Parliament and the local executive authority in Northern Ireland, where power is shared by Republicans who support reunification with the neighboring Republic of Ireland, and the ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which strongly supports belonging to the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Jeffrey Donaldson, considered that his party “brought about the change that many described as impossible,” pointing out that a difficult path had been passed. He said it was “a good day for Northern Ireland,” as “our position within the United Kingdom and its internal market is respected and protected.”
These comments do not convince more hardline unionists such as Jim Allister (of the traditional unionist voice TUV), who believes that Northern Ireland is still “largely governed by foreign laws,” referring to European Union laws. One of the most prominent difficulties in the context of Britain’s exit from the European Union was finding a solution aimed at avoiding the return of the physical border between the Republic of Ireland, a member of the European Union, and the British province, while protecting the single European market.
In March, Britain and the European Union officially concluded a post-Brexit agreement on amending the Northern Ireland Protocol, after it was approved by legislators from both parties, and it was known as the “Windsor Framework.” The approval of the agreement would have relaunched relations between London and the European Union in light of the tension that dominated them after “Brexit”, over the issue of trade relations with Northern Ireland, and paved the way for the resumption of political life in the province, but the “Windsor Framework” did not satisfy the “Unionist Party”. “Democrat.”
The Democratic Unionist Party, led by Jeffrey Donaldson, finally agreed to the agreement with the British government this week, considering that the text provides sufficient guarantees and removes the border in the Irish Sea. But this decision does not enjoy consensus within Donaldson’s party.
The resumption of the work of institutions in Northern Ireland will lead to London releasing funds worth 3.3 billion pounds sterling (about 3.9 billion euros) to support public services, which recently witnessed a historic strike.
• 1998 is the year of the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended a bloody conflict that lasted three decades.
• Local government in Northern Ireland handles matters such as housing, health, employment, agriculture and the environment.
The rise of Sinn Féin
The appointment of Michelle O’Neill, a late result of a watershed election in 2022, is the latest sign of the rise of Sinn Fein, which says its ultimate dream of a united Ireland is “within reach”. This appointment comes at a time when the Democratic Unionist Party, which is loyal to Britain and rivals Sinn Féin, officially ended a two-year boycott of the power-sharing government after concluding an agreement with the British government to calm trade disputes after Britain’s exit from the European Union.
“This is a historic day that represents a new dawn,” O’Neill told Parliament. “I will serve everyone equally and be everyone’s Prime Minister.” She added, “I express my regret for all the lives lost during the conflict, without exception.” O’Neill represents a turn to a new generation of Sinn Féin politicians who have not been directly involved in the bloody, decades-long conflict in the region between Irish nationalists seeking a united Ireland and pro-British unionists.
According to the Good Friday Agreement, neither party can rule without the consent of the other party. Government business has halved over the past two years, after the Democratic Unionist Party withdrew in protest over trade issues related to Britain’s exit from the European Union.
O’Neill will share power with Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly of the Democratic Unionist Party. The two will be equal, but O’Neill, whose party won more seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly in the 2022 election, will hold the higher title.
Former DUP leader Edwin Poots was elected Speaker of Parliament.
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2024-02-04 23:31:35
