- There are no big celebrations after the breakthrough victory
- Shin Fein still needs the support of his opponent to rule
- There are years left until the referendum on United Ireland
BELFAST, May 8 (Reuters) – Irish nationalists in Belfast raised a toast to Sinn Féin’s historic election victory on Sunday as pro-British neighbors quietly raged, but there were no signs that a political earthquake over the weekend was about to shake the city. .
In a victory that would have been unimaginable decades ago, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on Saturday became the first Irish nationalist party to take the lead in the UK parliamentary elections in the region. Read more
The victory gave Sinn Fein the right to nominate his leader, Michel O’Neill, as the region’s first Catholic prime minister – and more power to pursue the party’s ultimate goal of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland in the south.
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But few people enjoying a sunny Sunday on the city’s unwaveringly pro-British Newtownards seemed overly concerned.
“Obviously we don’t want a united Ireland and Sinn Féin will insist on a border inquiry, but I would say we do, we have nothing to fear,” said John Keenan, who runs Union Jack Souvenir Shop.
His confidence is due to opinion polls, which consistently show that a majority of voters in Northern Ireland support staying in the UK.
The pro-British loyalist community, named for its loyalty to the United Kingdom, is “worried” about the rise of Sinn Féin, Keenan said.
But he also knows that Sinn Fein cannot rule without the consent of Britain’s largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Unionist Party, according to a carefully crafted 1998 peace agreement in the region.
This brings the prospect of direct rule from London if no agreement is reached, which Keenan says will make him and many others happy.
Walking with a friend nearby, Protestant Methodist Minister Gary Mason said that while many loyalists – and more moderate pro-British unionists – may have been shocked by Sinn Fein’s success, many others were not at all surprised to see it as a result of constant struggles between pro-British politicians.
Shin Fein’s insistence on a reunification referendum “is nothing new,” he said.
Across the city, wearing a Gallic football jersey with the green, white and orange tricolor of the Republic of Ireland, 80-year-old Belfast man Tommy Shaw said he was “quite pleased” with Sinn Fein’s victory. He said he would “die happy” if Irish unification was achieved.
But he also doubted the reunification referendum was closer to Sinn Féin’s victory. “Not much,” he said as he enjoyed a drink with friends at a sports club named after a nationalist leader fighting for Irish independence.
While activists and candidates for Sinn Fein organized a party on Saturday, there were no major celebrations at the nationalist fortress of Falls Road, where the Gallic Shaw football team plays.
This reflects the fact that many see the victory as a step and that the referendum needed to leave the UK is at the discretion of the British government and probably years from now.
Instead, the biggest consequence of last week’s vote could be a doubling of the number of seats won by the Alliance Party, as it attracted the support of both Irish nationalists and pro-British unionists dissatisfied with their traditional parties.
“I think it was brilliant, they show that there is a middle ground there,” Shaw said.
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Writing by Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries; Edited by Daniel Wallis
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