Thursday, March 28

Stormont parties urge DUP to back election of new speaker | Northern Irish politics


Stormont parties have urged the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) to back the election of a new speaker as the assembly was recalled on Monday.

The Sinn Féin vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, told MLAs that people in Northern Ireland wanted action, not protest.

But the DUP MLA Paul Givan said the recall by Sinn Féin of the Stormont assembly was not a “serious attempt” to restore power sharing, telling MLAs: “Today’s recall is another attempt at majority rule and has no credibility when it comes forward from the party that kept these institutions down for three years.”

Sinn Féin proposed a recall last week, supported by the Alliance party and the Social Democratic and Labor party (SDLP). But a new speaker and the first and deputy first ministers cannot be installed without the DUP’s support. It has said it wants “action” first on the Northern Ireland protocol and has dismissed Sinn Fein’s move as a “stunt”.

Two MLAs, Mike Nesbitt of the Ulster Unionist party and Patsy McGlone of the SDLP, were nominated for the role of speaker.

Under assembly rules, no business can take place after an election until a new speaker is elected. An attempt to do so on May 13 failed because it requires cross-community support from a majority of unionist and nationalist MLAs.

O’Neill told the chamber: “The people have spoken and they want action, not protest. They want the parties and every single MLA elected to this democratic institution to get their sleeves rolled up and to get down to business.”

She added: “The DUP’s standoff is with the public and not with the European Union. As I stand here today I am ready to work with others.”

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Givan told the MLAs: “The public will see the hypocrisy for what it is from Sinn Féin.

“This isn’t a serious attempt to restore the principles of power sharing and these institutions. It is a stunt.”

The Alliance party MLA Nuala McAllister said a restored assembly at Stormont could begin to tackle the cost of living crisis. “Those of us who want to get on with the job are more than desperate to do so.”

Unionist politicians have protested against the protocol, apart from the UK-EU Brexit deal that keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU’s single market for goods.

This was designed to ensure free trade could continue across the Irish land border after Brexit but it has resulted in additional checks being placed on some goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said the number of MLAs who supported the Northern Ireland protocol had increased in the recent assembly election.“Why is the DUP holding the people of Northern Ireland hostage? They say it is all about the protocol,” he said.

“The protocol is an international treaty signed between the UK and the European Union.”

The Ulster Unionist MLA Robbie Butler said his party wanted all-party talks to begin on a program for government.


www.theguardian.com

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