May 9, 2022…The Irish American Unity Conference [IAUC] hails the election results of May 5 in the North of Ireland. The people of the North have voted decisively for Nationalist and centrist parties, which will make Sinn Fein the largest political party. It is widely understood that Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill will thus be elevated to the top government position of First Minister and become the first Nationalist in history to hold that office. Sinn Fein won 29% of the votes to retain its hold on 27 seats. Significantly, the reactionary, far right Democratic Unionist Party managed only 21% and has dropped three more seats to 25. The Alliance Party, a moderate neutralist party under the leadership of Naomi Long, has surged significantly and more than doubled its total to 17 seats.
Four out of five Northern Irish voters have delivered a clear message to the DUP: we reject your politics of division, rancor, and negativity. Now the DUP will be tested on whether it believes in democracy. In February, the DUP pulled its First Minister out of the Executive, intentionally collapsing the institution, ostensibly in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which the DUP had helped draft and strongly supported. In a threat to the democratic institutions, the DUP has stated that it will not re-enter government with Ms. O’Neill as First Minister unless the UK breaks the Protocol. If it does not agree to share power with the North’s most popular party, the DUP will underscore its standing as a retrograde, anti-democratic party.
The dismal showing by the DUP is an unmistakable referendum rejecting its obsessive, ill-conceived fixation on the Northern Ireland Protocol. All opinion polls leading up to the elections confirmed that the Protocol was far down on the list of priorities for most people. Cost of living, health, education, and housing are the main issues, and Sinn Fein’s strong showing affirms that it is in touch with real life concerns affecting people every day in the North.
This election marks the second time in two weeks that European voters have soundly rejected the nativist, divisive vision of a far-right party. Emmanuel Macron’s thumping of Marine le Pen was a statement victory for those who believe in an inclusive, economically-integrated Europe. Similarly, Northern Ireland’s electorate has rejected the scare tactics of the DUP in favor of commitments to inclusivity and economic success for all. The DUP’s strong advocacy of Brexit, and their reactionary, imperialist opposition to minority rights, marriage equality, reproductive rights, the Irish language, and other social issues is out of step with the forward-looking aspirations of a majority of Northern Irish voters.
The seismic changes that the Northern Ireland election brings cannot be over-stated. While in practice, due to power-sharing provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, the impact on governing will be minor, the psychological impact on both the nationalist and unionist communities will be transformative. Northern Ireland is forging a new chapter, led by an Irish Nationalist Catholic woman. The IAUC welcomes this outcome and heartily congratulates the enlightened people of Northern Ireland.
Peter C. Kissel, President
Irish American Unity Conference
5604 Utah Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20015
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