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Northern Ireland: Sinn Féin backs deal to restore power sharing Northern Ireland: parties back power-sharing deal
(32 minutes later)
DUP to meet shortly and are also expected to agree to British-Irish plan Sinn Féin announces support for British-Irish plan while DUP signals that it will also sign up
Northern Ireland’s political parties are on the brink of a deal that will lead to the restoration of the power-sharing government in the region following its collapse three years ago. Northern Ireland’s political parties have agreed to a deal to will lead to the restoration of the power-sharing government in the region following its collapse three years ago.
On Friday evening, Sinn Féin confirmed it would back a deal promoted by the British and Irish governments which included plans to put Gaelic on a par with English, its leader, Mary Lou McDonald, announced.On Friday evening, Sinn Féin confirmed it would back a deal promoted by the British and Irish governments which included plans to put Gaelic on a par with English, its leader, Mary Lou McDonald, announced.
She said: “We now have the basis to restore power sharing, and we’re up for that. There’s no doubt there are serious challenges ahead; the impact of Brexit, austerity and other pressing issues. She said: “We now have the basis to restore power sharing, and we’re up for that.”
“But the biggest and most significant challenge will be ensuring we have genuine power-sharing to build on equality, respect and integrity.” She confirmed that the party would nominate ministers for a new power-sharing executive and said Irish language activists should “take heart” over the provisions for Gaelic contained in the new deal.
She added that Sinn Féin was “committed” to Irish reunification efforts and to making sure people across the north-south divide enjoyed the same rights.She added that Sinn Féin was “committed” to Irish reunification efforts and to making sure people across the north-south divide enjoyed the same rights.
Sources close to the Democratic Unionists told the Guardian on Friday evening that they were “quietly confident” the party would also endorse the agreement aimed at ending three years of political deadlock as governments, trade unions and business leaders urged them and the other parties involved to embrace the latest political package. East Antrim Democratic Unionist MP, Sammy Wilson, also signalled on Friday night that the DUP is ready to sign up to the agreement and the SDLP has announced it will enter the power-sharing administration.
They said the DUP ruling executive meeting later on Friday night would back the blueprint for political progress. Wilson said: “I have huge reservations about the deal. [DUP leader] Arlene Foster herself said there is things in the deal that we would prefer not to be there but any deal is always going to be a compromise and I suppose at the end of the day the question is can we get back to stable government in NI and can we have local ministers dealing with the kinds of pressing problems I was having to address on behalf of constituents today?
There is even a suggestion that a newly reconstituted Northern Ireland Assembly may hold a special session this Saturday at Stormont to elect a parliamentary speaker and allow the five main parties to nominate ministers. “The party has negotiated a deal in good faith with the government and other parties. There is not everything in that deal that I like, there is some things that I dislike very, very strongly in the deal but we have to get devolved government up and running in NI and I think that what we don’t like, we will live with.”
The DUP and Sinn Féin were threatened with fresh assembly elections if they did not agree a deal by Monday. The party is to meet on Friday evening to formally back the deal.
With both suffering significant losses in the UK general election, that was not an attractive prospect, particularly as the centrist Alliance party doubled its share of the vote on 12 December. There is even a suggestion that a newly reconstituted Northern Ireland assembly may hold a special session this Saturday at Stormont to elect a parliamentary speaker and allow the five main parties to nominate ministers. McDonald, however, did not comment on the timing of any new assembly at her press conference.
The DUP and Sinn Féin were threatened with fresh assembly elections if they did not agree a deal by Monday. With both suffering significant losses in the UK general election, that was not an attractive prospect, particularly as the centrist Alliance party doubled its share of the vote on 12 December.
The public had also lost patience with politicians in the backdrop of one of the worst health crises in the region, with the first Royal College-backed nursing strike in a century. McDonald said: “The first action we believe of the incoming executive must be to deliver pay parity to health workers.”The public had also lost patience with politicians in the backdrop of one of the worst health crises in the region, with the first Royal College-backed nursing strike in a century. McDonald said: “The first action we believe of the incoming executive must be to deliver pay parity to health workers.”
It is understood that the DUP will get three ministries and that one will be headed up by the MEP Diane Dodds, possibly education. Sinn Féin will run two while the SDLP, cross-community Alliance party and the Ulster Unionists will each control one ministry.It is understood that the DUP will get three ministries and that one will be headed up by the MEP Diane Dodds, possibly education. Sinn Féin will run two while the SDLP, cross-community Alliance party and the Ulster Unionists will each control one ministry.
Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “I congratulate those in Northern Ireland who have worked to reach agreement to allow a return to power sharing at Stormont. The Good Friday Agreement and peace process in Northern Ireland is a proud Labour legacy we are committed to support and protect.”
At the core of the deal proposed by the British and Irish governments is the creation of two new “language commissioners” as part of a cultural plan to put Gaelic on an equal par to English while protecting Ulster British culture.At the core of the deal proposed by the British and Irish governments is the creation of two new “language commissioners” as part of a cultural plan to put Gaelic on an equal par to English while protecting Ulster British culture.
Earlier on Friday, the DUP and Sinn Fein appeared to have accepted the “New Decade, New Approach” paper put forward by the Northern Ireland secretary, Julian Smith, and the Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney.Earlier on Friday, the DUP and Sinn Fein appeared to have accepted the “New Decade, New Approach” paper put forward by the Northern Ireland secretary, Julian Smith, and the Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney.
Sinn Féin’s ruling executive met around lunchtime to debate the details of the agreement with some concerns over exactly what kind of “veto powers” a unionist first minister might exercise over the commissioners who would have some legal powers to recommend or enforce policies such as dual language street signs but it appears these were addressed. Sinn Féin’s ruling executive met around lunchtime to debate the details of the agreement with some concerns over exactly what kind of “veto powers” a unionist first minister might exercise over the commissioners who would have some legal powers to recommend or enforce policies such as dual language street signs but it appears those concerns were addressed.
Under the deal, the two most important politicians in a new devolved government – the first and deputy first ministers – would have some role in shaping the remit of the commissioners. The Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney – who presented the deal to the parties on Thursday alongside the Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith – said history has been made after the restoration of government in Northern Ireland.
Responding to the government blueprint, the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, said: “On balance, we believe there is a basis upon which the [Northern Ireland] Assembly and executive can be re-established in a fair and balanced way.” Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said: “History is being made today. We now have confirmation from the two largest parties in Northern Ireland that they both are committed to re-entering an executive and establishing a functioning Stormont again.”
She added: “This is not a perfect deal … there are elements within it which we recognise are the product of long negotiations and represent compromise outcomes. There will always need to be give and take.” In comments that came before the SDLP announcement, he added: “Of course, that is not the end of the story as we want this to be an all-party executive so I hope that the Alliance Party and SDLP will also be able to join Sinn Fein and the DUP in that new executive.”
Foster confirmed on Friday that she had spoken to Sinn Fein’s northern leader, Michelle O’Neill, while her colleague and DUP chief whip, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, insisted that unionists would have some control over the direction of an Irish Language Act.