People in Northern Ireland are currently not waking up thinking about Irish unity, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill has said.
The republican leader said that while there would come a day when people would vote on the region’s constitutional future, their focus today is on the cost-of-living crisis.
Ms O’Neill was reacting to the latest opinion poll on Irish unity, which indicated that fewer than one in three would vote for unification if asked tomorrow.
The comments from Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader at a pre-election business event in Belfast also came amid claims from the DUP that her party is fixated with pushing for a unity referendum, and was failing to prioritise those struggling to pay their bills.
Responding to her remarks on Tuesday, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson claimed Sinn Fein was not being honest with the electorate over its plans for a border poll.
Addressing the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce’s Five Leaders, Five Days event, Ms O’Neill also challenged the DUP to turn up on “day one” after May’s Assembly election, to form a new powersharing executive.
She was referring to the DUP’s insistence it will not re-enter an administration before changes are made to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The DUP collapsed the Executive in February when it withdrew its first minister Paul Givan in protest at the contentious post-Brexit Irish sea trading arrangements.
The Institute of Irish Studies-University of Liverpool/Irish News opinion poll published on Tuesday found that 30% would vote for a united Ireland if a referendum was held tomorrow, with 45.3% voting against it and the remainder either not expressing a preference or saying they do not know.
“I think it’s an interesting poll,” Ms O’Neill told business representatives at the gathering in the Europa Hotel.
“It’s one in a long line of polls. I looked very briefly at the figures this morning but I don’t think people woke up this morning thinking about that.
“I think people woke up this morning thinking about the cost-of-living crisis. I think people woke up this morning around the pressure they feel right now.
“So, I’m focused on the cost-of-living crisis, I’m focused now on what I will do in health, I’m focused on what I’m going to do in the Executive on the other side of the election. I’m focused on what I will do with the economy brief. I’m focused on all of these things.
“Yes, there will come a day whenever we will vote on the constitutional question and I will bring my politics to that.”
Ms O’Neill said there was no contradiction in Sinn Fein working within the political institutions in Northern Ireland and also pursing the goal of Irish unity.
“But my focus today is very much on the cost-of-living crisis and getting to the other side of this election, and then trying to form an executive and working with the other parties,” she added.
Asked if that meant unity was not a current priority, Ms O’Neill replied: “We’re not one-dimensional in life. Obviously, that’s who I am – I’m a republican.
“There won’t be any secret that I want to see unity in the country, but I am focused for today on the cost-of-living crisis.”
During a visit to the Foyle constituency, Sir Jeffrey challenged Sinn Fein, claiming the push for a referendum was high up the party’s priority list when it met politicians in the US last month.
“Sinn Fein should be open and honest about its divisive border poll plans,” he said.
“Only two weeks ago they were happy to talk about their divisive border poll plan in Washington and New York to senators and congressmen.
“Why does Sinn Fein not want to talk about their divisive border plans in Northern Ireland? The people of Northern Ireland deserve honesty from Sinn Fein and its leaders.”
Meanwhile, SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon said it was “lazy politics” to call for a referendum on unity without doing the preparatory work on what a united Ireland would look like.
“The SDLP has always said that it is lazy politics to just keep calling for a border poll, the hard work that needs to be done is setting out exactly what that would mean to people, what it would mean for a new health care system on the island, a new education system, a new housing system,” she told the PA news agency.
There won’t be any secret that I want to see unity in the country, but I am focused for today on the cost-of-living crisis
On the protocol issue, and the barriers it has created on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, Ms O’Neill told the NI Chamber event there was a need to “refine” its implementation.
However, she said another aspect of the protocol – the unfettered access it offers local businesses to sell with the UK market and the EU single market, should be used as “key selling point” to attract more foreign direct investment into Northern Ireland.
“So, while we refine implementation of the protocol, let us make the most of the huge opportunities offered by our unique access to both the EU and British markets,” she said.
Much of her speech focused on what approach Sinn Fein would take to economic development in Northern Ireland if it assumes the Department for the Economy portfolio post-election.
However, Ms O’Neill declined to be drawn when asked to confirm whether her party would make economy its first choice when it came to the allocation of ministries.
On the prospects of a new executive being formed on the other side of May’s poll, the Mid Ulster MLA made a pointed reference to the DUP’s “Five Point Plan” election campaign as she stressed the need for parties to get back to work.
“I think it’s intolerable that we don’t have an executive and it’s not sustainable to say that there may not be an executive,” she told business leaders.
“I mean, this is the democratic process, we’re all fighting the election, we all contest it, we say what we want to do and we ask the public to support us, there’s no point in having five point plans, or six point plans or seven point plans if you don’t intend to be in government to deliver them.
“I’ll be there. I’ll turn up with our team, I’ll be there on day one, I’ll work with others. I want to agree a programme for government.
“We’ve a period of six weeks directly after the election in which to form the executive that actually can go on for four periods of six weeks, so conceivably 24 weeks.
“That should not be the case, we need to be in government on day one.”
