Stormont can return quickly if there’s the will, insists SF leader

THE calling of a Stormont election in January can be averted if there is political will to restore a power-sharing agreement, Mary Lou McDonald has said.

The Northern Ireland Secretary is bound by legislation to call an Assembly election shortly after the general election if Stormont has not been restored by then.

On Friday Julian Smith said: “January 13 is the deadline, after that Northern Ireland will be without political direction.

“This situation cannot continue, the people of Northern Ireland need political decision-making.”

The Sinn Fein l eader told RTE’s The Week In Politics programme she does not agree with Mr Smith’s assessment and believes Stormont will return before the deadline.

“I don’t accept for a second that it won’t come back, but it has to come back in a form that is about accountable, clean government. That’s about all of us operating and stepping up to the plate with power-sharing,” she said.

“It’s my strong view that if there is a political will, from political unionism, from the DUP and the British Government to make a deal, then we can actually do that very, very quickly.”

On Saturday Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein is ready to “do business” to restore power-sharing and challenged the DUP to step up to the job.

Addressing her party’s ard fheis, she said a long drawn-out talks process wasn’t needed as the issues were “well-rehearsed”.

The Sinn Fein president also said there must be a border poll within the next five years, and strongly supported her party’s abstentionist policy on Westminster.

Speaking to around 1,500 delegates in the Millennium Forum in Londonderry, Ms McDonald said there was “an immediate challenge” to restore power-sharing at Stormont.

“We are ready to do business,” she said. “Sinn Féin has never been the obstacle to power-sharing or good government or doing a deal.

“I challenge the DUP and both governments to step forward. To resolve the issues and get government back in action.

“We don’t need a drawn-out talks process. The issues have been well-rehearsed. We need a good faith, purposeful engagement by political unionism. Sinn Féin negotiators stand ready.”

Ms McDonald said that in next month’s Westminster election, her party would challenge DUP MPs who were the “architects and champions of Brexit”.

“So there’s the clear choice. The people will have to call it. Between the future and the past. Between Sinn Fein and Me Fein,” she said.