McDonald warns against imposing direct rule in NI
SINN Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill says there must be no return to direct rule from London in the absence of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.
Ms O’Neill said a return to direct rule by the British Government would represent an abandonment of the Good Friday Agreement.
Speaking at the Sinn Fein away day in Dundalk, Co Louth, Ms O’Neill said the lack of a functioning Assembly at Stormont for the past 900 days is “unsustainable.”
“The DUP have traded power-sharing in the North for their short-lived influence in London,” she said. “If no agreement is reached and in the absence of power-sharing, it would not be acceptable for the British Government to impose direct rule.
“This should not be acceptable to the Irish Government and we will hold the Taoiseach to account when he said no citizen in the North will be left behind again,” said Ms O’Neill.
“The British Government is in turmoil and is only interested in serving its own interests. It is actively ignoring the needs and the democratically expressed wishes of the people who live on this island.
“It is continuing to ignore the citizens in the North and the elected members who vehemently oppose this unwanted Brexit,” said Ms O’Neill.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said a Northern Ireland-only backstop would mean one part of the UK would be left in the customs union and subject to the rules of the single market without any consent.
“As we hurtle towards a nodeal crash out, the reckless DUP Brexiteers are very quickly running out of road and their options are narrowing. A Northern Ireland only backstop would not be a constitutional issue as the DUP falsely claim — it is nonsense,” said Ms O’Neill.
Ms O’Neill said Irish unity is the ultimate goal for the party and planning must begin.
“The process of planning for a referendum for a united Ireland must be undertaken by both Governments — including the Irish Government. They need to get away from this ostrich mentality and get their heads out of the sand. More and more people are talking about Irish unity, not just republicans,” she said.
In response, the DUP’s East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell urged Sinn Fein to drop their preconditions to re-entering Stormont.
“Item number one for the Sinn Fein annual ‘think-in’ should be ending of their Stormont boycott but instead it has been the latest platform for Mary Lou to spin fairy tales and talk nonsense about a hard border,” he said.
“London, Dublin and Brussels have all committed to no ‘hard border’ even in a no-deal scenario.
“Mary Lou’s attempt to recreate the imagery of soldiers on the border with guns, barbed wire and watch towers is manipulation and exploitation of genuine border communities.
“Rather than manipulate fears of people, Sinn Fein should listen to them. Their poor election results in 2019 should have delivered the message to the current leadership. It’s time to lift their boycott and return to Stormont so local m,inisters can make decisions about our schools, roads and hospitals.”
Earlier, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Johnson is following a Brexit “fantasy”.
Ms McDonald told party members: “British Prime Minister Boris Johnson follows a fantasy in which the rights and interests of the Irish people can be cast aside. It is time to call Mr Johnson’s fantasy for what it is — profoundly stupid and immeasurably dangerous.”
Ms McDonald said Mr Johnson’s Brexit plan would lead to a hard border on the island of Ireland. She said: “Despite Mr Johnson’s claims to the contrary, the path he is leading would lead us to a hard border. The British Prime Minister needs to hear this. The Irish people will not allow our country, our communities, our economy or our peace to be vandalised by him.”