Sinn Féin addresses British naysayers during UK media blitz

Mary Lou McDonald

SINN FÉIN ADDRESSED British audiences today as Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill took on a UK media blitz following the return of the Stormont assembly.

Party leader McDonald told Sky News that O’Neill becoming the first nationalist First Minister in the North is an indicator of a “profound change” that’s happening in Ireland.

“When I say unity is in touching distance, I mean it in historic terms. I don’t mean that it’s happening next week or next month,” she said.

McDonald envisages any referendums on Irish unity to take place before 2030.

In response to criticism of republican ambitions by British Tories, McDonald said they are entitled to their opinion, but “Irish people, north and south, will make that call without coercion or impediment”.

“For a moment, suspend your disbelief and see the positive outcomes that can come from [Irish unity].”

Part of achieving Irish unity, she said, will be “consolidating our relationship with Britain as out next door neighbour and a good friend”.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, First Minister Michelle O’Neill stressed the importance of being respectful of differing identities within Ireland.

“I pride myself on being the Good Friday Agreement generation, someone who was gifted peace,” she said.

“One of the beauties of the Good Friday Agreement was that you could be British, Irish, both or none. And I think we have to be conscious and be respectful of each other in all of our debate.”

Those with opposite political aspirations should be able to have “mature conversations” about the future of the six counties.

“I think it’s important that I can say, ‘let’s be chilled about it’.

“I say ‘North of Ireland’, others say ‘Northern Ireland’. Let’s just give each other the space to become comfortable in however we might come at these things.”

In the latest Irish Times/Ipsos Behaviour and Attitudes poll, support for Sinn Féin was at its lowest in three years.