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Sinn F\u00e9in has said the British Government needs to \u201cget real\u201d with the DUP after meeting Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith.<\/p>\nSinn F\u00e9in has said the British Government needs to \u201cget real\u201d with the DUP after meeting Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald and MLA Conor Murphy met Mr Smith in Dublin as he traveled for meetings with political figures on issues around Brexit and the power-sharing impasse at Stormont.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said the confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP has hindered the Tories\u2019 ability to negotiate neutrally, and claimed the Conservatives instead seek to \u201cplacate\u201d the DUP because of their influence in Westminster, rather than hold meaningful talks on restoring a government in the North.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian Smith says Boris Johnson wants to have power-sharing restored, and if that\u2019s the case then they need to get cracking and need to get real,\u201d Ms McDonald said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say that it (restoring power-sharing) is priority, but you would imagine if something is a priority they would move heaven and earth to make it happen, and we\u2019re certainly not convinced that the British Government have carried the load or used their influence with the DUP to ensure that solutions are delivered. This is the frustrating thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stormont has been in cold storage for more than two and half years due to a stand-off between Sinn F\u00e9in and the DUP on issues such as Irish language legislation and a ban on same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n
Hopes for a new set of talks were sparked following the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee in April, but Ms McDonald said that although talks are ongoing, nothing substantial is expected any time soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still are in a situation where the DUP are not demonstrating the necessary appetite to embrace solutions to issues to get the assembly back up and running, and neither are the British Government in terms of restoring power-sharing or indeed agreeing or embracing the backstop to protect the island of Ireland,\u201d Ms McDonald added.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot being unkind to the man (Mr Smith) \u2013 the reality is that any British secretary of state or Tory coming here\u2026 they don\u2019t have the same skin in the game in terms of Irish interests that other people who have been elected here have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said some points were discussed with Mr Smith, but these did not include whether the DUP would accept a Northern Ireland-only backstop, as had been reported in the last few days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know is the short answer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have heard the speculation that they will revert to those provisions but certainly the Secretary of State hasn\u2019t given us that impression, much less confirmed that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe told him if he has any notion to misuse the institutions in the North as a bargaining chip or buffer in that then he\u2019s barking up the wrong tree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in said it is looking any upcoming general election at Westminster as \u201can opportunity for all of us to show that Northern Ireland voted to remain\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald did not rule out having the party stand aside in the hotly contested South Belfast seat for another pro-remain candidate to take a greater share of the vote against the incumbent DUP MP.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will look at every possible and plausible mechanism to maximize the pro-remain vote. We haven\u2019t landed on firm conclusions but that conversation is under way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in, the SDLP, Alliance and the Green Party have all said publicly they are willing to explore options for the upcoming election to maximize the number of pro-Europe MPs in Westminster to vote against any possible no-deal Brexit plans.<\/p>\n