Divided Unionists

The Northern Ireland Assembly elections today also have the potential to be of considerable significance. Opinion polls conducted in recent months suggest that Sinn Fein is on track to become the largest party at Stormont, entitling it to nominate Northern Ireland’s first minister.

During the campaign, the hard-line nationalist party has been at pains to downplay its ambitions for a united Ireland, focusing instead on cost of living issues. In any case, coming first in these elections would not necessarily advance that particular cause. The Unionist vote is unusually split, while more moderate forces such as the Alliance Party have been gaining support among the electorate. There does not seem to be a groundswell building behind a border poll, either.

Nevertheless, the DUP’S leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, has refused to commit to serving under a Sinn Fein first minister. He added in a debate between the leaders last night that his party would not enter a power-sharing government until the Northern Ireland Protocol was ditched.

Thus far, the discussions with Brussels on this issue appear not to be going anywhere, with the Foreign Secretary’s hopes that a deal could be reached earlier in the year dashed by European Union intransigence.

The Government could still take matters into its own hands by invoking Article 16 of the Protocol, although it now appears to favour legislation that could allow the UK to override parts of it unilaterally. Whatever the solution, this piece of unfinished business left over from Brexit cannot continue to fester. The status quo is patently unsustainable.