New Taoiseach’s failure to appoint anyone from NI to Seanad ‘a farce’
THE Republic’s new coalition Government has been criticised after none of the Taoiseach’s nominees to the Seanad included anyone from Northern Ireland.
It came despite Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens outlining plans for a new unit within the office of the Taoiseach “to work towards a consensus on a shared island” in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin is the new Taoiseach, while Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar becomes Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Simon Coveney remains in post as Minister for Foreign Affairs, while Green Party leader Eamon Ryan becomes Minister for Climate Action, Communications Networks and Transport.
First Minister Arlene Foster yesterday welcomed the new Taoiseach. “We look forward to making progress with him on matters of mutual concern and building a positive relationship with the new administration in our neighbouring jurisdiction,” the DUP leader tweeted.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Martin would make a “top class Taoiseach”, and said he was “looking forward to addressing the challenges our island faces together”.
UUP leader Steve Aiken said “relationships between unionism and the previous Government were at best patchy, and we now look forward to rebuilding a respectful and cooperative dialogue with the new administration”.
Alliance MP Stephen Farry said the coalition had “big challenges ahead”, including Covid-19, climate change, infrastructure and Brexit. “That will need cooperation between both jurisdictions on the island and further afield,” he said.
However, Mr Martin came under fire after announcing his 11 personal nominations to the upper house of the Irish parliament on Saturday, none of them from here.
Although there is no obligation for such representation, the new coalition had promised to improve cross-border integration. Ian Marshall, a Northern Ireland unionist who was elected to the Dublin Senate in 2018, said the lack of a unionist perspective in the new Government was a “farce”.
Mr Marshall told the BBC: “This a huge missed opportunity and sends a very clear message to the unionist community that they have no role to play down south. How can you have a shared island if you only talk to yourself?
“The three party leaders all talked about change and renewal and yet they turn their backs on unionists, and any talk of a shared island is just a farce.”
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said at least one of the Taoiseach’s nominees to the Seanad should have been from this side of the border.
“When Ian Marshall came into the Seanad, we supported his nomination.
“I think people were taken aback by that but I think it is important that northern society is represented within the Oireachtas,” she told BBC NI’S Sunday Politics.
Two northern republicans have seats in the Senate — former Foyle MP Elisha Mccallion and former Belfast Lord Mayor Niall O’donnghaile.
Citizenship campaigner Emma Desouza said she was dealt “a heavy blow” when she found out she was not included.
She said: “I had hoped to be successful in obtaining a nomination to the Seanad as an independent that represents the Good Friday Agreement. Instead, no one from the North was appointed.”