Nationalist leaders say U.K. union “coming to an end”
Por Rebecca Falconer — Axios
The first ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales united Monday behind calls to leave the United Kingdom in an unprecedented alignment of nationalist leaders.
Why it matters: For the first time, all three first ministers favor leaving the U.K. — and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill says President Trump’s support for a united Ireland has taken the debate global.
Driving the news: The nationalist leaders of the Scottish National Party, Sinn Féin and Plaid Cymru met in Cardiff, Wales, on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding declaring that the “political landscape across these islands is changing.”
- The SNP’s John Swinney, Sinn Féin’s O’Neill and Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth met as leaders of their respective parties, not as representatives of their regional governments.
- Swinney and O’Neill called for referenda on independence from the U.K. during a news conference, but ap Iorwerth is pushing for similar regional powers as in Northern Ireland and Scotland and has ruled out holding a referendum during this term.
What they’re saying: “For people watching across these islands – for people watching around the world – there could be no clearer sign that Westminster’s time is coming to an end,” the memo said.
- “Momentum is behind our movements; we believe that constitutional change is coming,” it added.
- “We call for the British Government to prepare for, plan and facilitate constitutional change in each jurisdiction.”
Zoom in: O’Neill told reporters that Trump’s support for Irish reunification during a two-day visit over the weekend reflected a “growing conversation around constitutional change at home in Ireland.”
- She said the debate was happening “not just at home, but obviously now internationally as well” and Trump’s intervention showed Irish unification is “very much on the table.”
Yes, but: A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Trump’s comments don’t change his stance that it’s premature to call for independence referenda until public opinion clearly shifts.
- The 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended decades of conflict in Northern Ireland, requires a referendum on Irish reunification if the British government believes a majority would support it.
The other side: Trump’s comments drew backlash from British lawmakers and unionists, including Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly who criticized O’Neill’s attendance at the summit in an interview with the BBC.
- “She has not sought any agreement or permission from me to travel, attend or sign anything as first minister,” the Democratic Unionist Party politician said.
- Little-Pengelly stressed that she and O’Neill jointly lead Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government and O’Neill was not there on official government business.
Go deeper: Why Trump’s united Ireland stance hit such a nerve
Fonte: Axios
