They are no longer able to run off cap-in-hand to Downing Street. The people they have to face now are the DUP, the largest Unionist party, in a Unionist majority Stormont. We make no apology for foiling Republican plans whilst advancing the agenda of the pro-Union community and are pleased that the changes which we brought about are delivering for Unionism.
Now then...I find that all a bit triumphalist.
I’d suggest that Sinn Fein’s next logical strategy, faced with such intransigence, is to swap one “partitionist” “parliament” for another, ignore the gloating Ulster nationalists at Stormont and take their fight on issues such as the Irish language to the heart of our democracy.
There are five Sinn Fein MPs qualified to sit at Westminster and I really think they can do more good there for their constituents and their causes than constantly being humiliated by the DUP bullies at the Northern Irish Assembly.
It’s time they ended abstentionism and started to justify all those expenses.
6 comments:
There is more to fighting for constituents than legislating for them. Very few votes in the Westminster parliament actually effect Northern Ireland. They only effect England and Wales. So it would be hypocritical of Sinn Féin to argue that Britain shouldn't interfere in Ireland, when Sinn Féin are interfering in Britain.
Then there is the whole Oath of Allegiance to the Queen of England. bit.
Ok Seamus, a question for you, who'd you trust better to deliver an Irish Language Act- Stormont or Westminster?
I don't trust either with it but with the Sewel Convention the Westminster Parliament wouldn't be able to legislate on the terms of an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland, and I think an Irish Language Act for England and Wales would be rather dumb. I would prefer that Edwin Poots wakes up a realises that there is more than one culture in Northern Ireland.
In reality the Westminster Parliament is becoming increasingly irrelevant in Northern Ireland, with the majority of the issues either being covered by the Assembly, or by the Northern Ireland Office.
I don't trust either with it but with the Sewel Convention
I think the Sewel Convention is concerned solely with Scottish issues...but even if it isn't, Irish nationalism in tandem with the SNP, Plaid Cymru, English Labour MPs like Claire Short and the W of Scotland/Glasgow Labour MPs could, with a good enough strategy, deliver Irish Language provisions.
Westminster is only becoming irrelevant in NI because everyone (including the Dupes) is ignoring it- it's still our ultimate legislature.
I would imagine that the Sewel Convention would apply to Northern Ireland if the issue ever arose, but I also think that Sinn Féin taking the Oath of Allegiance to, in Sinn Féin's opinion, a foreign Queen, just to secure one small concession from the British government would be stupid.
Westminster is becoming irrelevant because it hasn't all that much power over Northern Ireland anymore.
just to secure one small concession from the British government would be stupid.
There's also the question of the Maze, their "Conflict Resolution Centre", ending educational selection...
The Oath is only symbolic-other Celtic nationalists sit in the HOC and deal with it; also once Sinn Fein decided to take part in a NI government they crossed a Rubicon by accepting the reality of having to work within a "partitionist parliament"
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