“The Northern Ireland Protocol is working.” This is the opinion of Mary-Lou Mcdonnal, leader of Sinn Féin, who during a meeting with foreign correspondents in London on Tuesday set out their political positions just a few days after Northern Irish voters gave them a historic victory on May 5 in the polls, making it the leading force in the country for the first time in the century that has passed since the partition of the island.
For Mary-Lou McDonald, leader of the party, and who was accompanied by Conor Murphy and by Michelle O’Neill, who is destined to become chief minister if the DUP unionists agree to form a government, the European Commission is acting in good faith , unlike British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he accused of acting in the interests of the Unionists.
For McDonald, “Boris Johnson’s actions represent a real threat to the stability of the peace agreement, to economic stability”, and also go against the people of the small province, who “support the protocol” and do not want to put at risk a peace “that has taken a long time to build”.
For the leader of what was the political arm of the IRA terrorist organization, “the protocol is here to stay.” “The European commission has said that there are no objections to seeking solutions” and there is “an established channel” for these talks, she exclaimed, because “Who is not going to want solutions? But it is necessary for the Johnson administration to act in good faith », something that, in her opinion, she is not doing.
He also made reference to a future reunification with the Republic of Ireland saying that “in this decade we will see a constitutional change” but for it to happen there must be preparation including a social conversation” and in “London must recognize that change is imminent”. “Public opinion will move to want a united Ireland that rejoins the European Union,” he said, adding that “Brexit poses a real danger” to peace deals. “The protocol is a response to Brexit” and if Johnson continues to be ‘accommodating’ to the Unionists, ‘he may do’ significant ‘harm'”. “We have to win hearts and minds to achieve reunification,” he asserted.
O’Neill supported this point, saying “we will see reunification” and agreed that Johnson is acting “in his own interests and not in the interests of the people.” With regard to the protocol, the future chief minister considered that “the economic data says that access to the European and British markets gives us advantages” to the Northern Irish.
For his part, Connor pointed out that an informal debate is being held on reunification, and clarified that “we are not going to go for the referendum tomorrow” but they will work on “building a structure” and see where the public is in terms of the reunification.
