Sinn Fein wants referendum on united Ireland

DUBLIN - Northern Ireland should hold a referendum as early as 2016 on whether to remain British or join a united Ireland, Sinn Fein, the main pro-Irish nationalist party in the province, said on Monday.

The British government in London, which is already facing calls for a referendum in 2014 on ending Scotland’s 300-year union with England, has the final say on whether a referendum on the future of Northern Ireland can be held.

Sinn Fein’s leader in Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness, said he favoured a referendum after the next election to Northern Ireland’s assembly, which is likely to happen in 2015 or 2016.

“It could take place anytime between 2016 and 2020/21,” McGuinness, a former commander with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerrilla group, told the Irish Examiner newspaper. “I don’t see any reason whatsoever why that should not be considered.”

Just as 2014 is a key year for Scottish nationalists, marking the 700th anniversary of a historic victory over the English, so 2016 is important for Irish nationalists, as it marks the centenary of a popular uprising against British rule.

One political analyst dismissed the referendum idea as being outside “the realm of pratical politics”.

Nevertheless, another leading Sinn Fein member echoed the comments made by McGuinness. “I do hope the referendum happens in the next term of the assembly government,” Pearse Doherty, a member of parliament in the Irish Republic, told Newstalk radio in Dublin. “I would suspect that it will.”

Under a 1998 peace deal, the British government can call a referendum on the future of Northern Ireland if it appears likely that a majority of people in the province want to break with Britain and form a united Ireland.

UNLIKE SCOTLAND

Unlike in the case of Scotland, which the British government in London wants to keep as part of the United Kingdom, Westminister has committed to ending the union with Northern Ireland if a majority in the province want it to.

But the likelihood of that happening in the next few years is remote as Protestants, who overwhelmingly favour remaining in the UK, outnumber Catholics, who usually support the Irish nationalist cause.

On top of that, not all Catholics in the province want to unite with the Irish Republic, particularly when Dublin is struggling to emerge from a deep financial crisis.

The British state is the biggest employer in Northern Ireland and the province’s population enjoys a number of benefits, including universal free healthcare, which are not available in the Republic.

Dublin, which had to apply for an EU-IMF bailout last year, could also ill afford unification. Any referendum could also provoke a violent response from pro-British militants.

“It’s not in the realm of pratical politics. It’s not a runner,” said Margaret O’Callaghan, senior lecturer in politics, at Queen’s University.

“Even if there were a simple majority, which there isn’t, it would not lead to a change in constitutional status given a whole variety of factors such as the attitudes of Northern unionists, attitudes of the south and the financial position of the south.”

The 2001 census showed that 40 percent of Northern Ireland’s population classified themselves as Catholic, 46 percent were Protestant and 14 percent said they had no religion. Details of religious affiliation from the 2011 census have yet to be released.

Under the 1998 “Good Friday agreement” that ended the IRA’s campaign against British rule of Northern Ireland, if a referendum is approved by London, another one cannot be held for another seven years.

Original Article
Source: lfpress 
Author: Carmel Crimmins