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”.