{"id":26014,"date":"2022-04-27T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T14:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26014"},"modified":"2022-04-27T11:46:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T15:46:48","slug":"brexit-has-led-to-more-considering-irish-unity-says-oneill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=26014","title":{"rendered":"Brexit Has Led To More Considering Irish Unity Says O’Neill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Michelle O\u2019Neill (PA)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The impact of Brexit has led a lot of people to consider whether Northern Ireland should remain within the UK

antibiotici-acquista.com<\/a><\/p> , Michelle O\u2019Neill has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sinn F\u00e9in vice president accused the Conservative Party and the DUP of \u201ccausing chaos\u201d in the North, but stressed that any decision on Irish unity would be for the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview ahead of the Stormont Assembly elections, Ms O\u2019Neill also insisted that a new Executive should be formed immediately after next week\u2019s poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the election campaign, the DUP has repeatedly claimed that Sinn F\u00e9in would be emboldened to push for an Irish unity referendum if the party emerges with the most MLAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Sinn F\u00e9in has concentrated on the cost-of-living and health service crises during its election events, Ms O\u2019Neill insisted that it was not hiding its desire for Irish unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cWe are an Irish republican party, so we do believe in Irish unity. It is what we voted for the Good Friday Agreement for, it is an integral part of the Good Friday Agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut it will only be the public that will ever change the constitutional question here. They will have their say in time on that question and I look forward to the day when we are having that conversation around constitutional change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I am not one-dimensional, I can think of more than one thing at a time. So I think I can articulate the view of constitutional change, try to convince the public and also work in the Assembly and Executive with others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms O\u2019Neill added: \u201cThere has been seismic change in society, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit, something that we didn\u2019t vote for, but which has been foisted upon us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo I think a lot of people are now considering the constitutional position because Brexit has pulled us out of the EU, stolen our EU citizenship from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think a lot of people are now thinking about where do they want to be in the future, where do they see themselves, do they value their European citizenship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd the EU have said that in the event of a successful unity referendum that the whole of the country would be back within the EU, so I think that is a big question for a lot of people to ponder on and I think they are actively pondering on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am certainly talking to people who are thinking about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms O\u2019Neill insisted that the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol, which is bitterly opposed by unionist parties, must be protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that the new trading arrangements were a result of Brexit, which her party had opposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be in the position we are today if it wasn\u2019t for the Tories and the DUP. They collectively delivered us the hardest possible Brexit; we sought to achieve some mitigation against that. That is the protocol which we wouldn\u2019t have if we didn\u2019t have Brexit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo the DUP and the Tories have to shoulder responsibility for where we are today. This was always about an English agenda, an English nationalist agenda, and it was never in our interests here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to fight very hard for the protocol because that does give us some protection. The British government have created chaos along with the DUP, created chaos, instability, uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur local businesses can\u2019t plan for the future, they can\u2019t avail of the opportunities that the protocol presents because of the approach of the DUP and the Tories. People have had enough of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DUP collapsed the Stormont power-sharing Executive earlier this year in protest at the protocol and have stated that they will not re-enter government after next week\u2019s elections unless Westminster removes the so-called Irish Sea border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms O\u2019Neill said the DUP tactics were \u201cmadness\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cThe DUP are fighting the election with a five point plan. You can\u2019t deliver that plan unless you are in an Executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo it is madness to tell the public that you don\u2019t know what you will do the other side of the election whenever you are out telling them you are going to fix the health service and you are going to invest in X, Y and Z.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that washes with the public and I think it is intolerable to even conceive that someone wouldn\u2019t go into the Executive whenever the public are struggling with the cost-of-living rises and the public know their health service need major investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe rest of us will turn up on day one, I encourage the DUP to do likewise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A series of opinion polls have predicted that Sinn F\u00e9in is on course to emerge from the election with the most seats, which would entitle the party to nominate for the first time for the position of first minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinn F\u00e9in is running 34 candidates in the election, more than any other party, but Ms O\u2019Neill refused to be drawn on how many seats she believed the party could win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cWe are seeking the largest possible mandate that we can. The more votes we have, the more departments we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am very proud of the track record of the Sinn F\u00e9in ministers in government, we want to do more of that. The more departments we have, the more impact we can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

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