Sinn Fein's Michell O'Neill Scripts History, Becomes Northern Ireland's First Nationalist Leader

In a historic moment after the end of a two-year boycott, the North Ireland’s government named Sinn Fein politician, Michelle O’Neill, as their first nationalist leader.

“This is an historic day and it does represent a new dawn,” O’Neill told fellow lawmakers shortly after her appointment, adding it was “unimaginable to my parents’ and grandparents’ generation”.

“I am wholeheartedly committed to continue in the work of reconciliation between all of our people. The past cannot be changed or cannot be undone but what we can do, what we all can do, is build a better future,” she added.

The Northern Ireland Assembly, in a special sitting, first voted to resume the delegated local government and then nominated the pro-Irish unity’s politician as the first minister.

This landmark move follows the DUP ending its walkout from the Stormont institutions after its deal with the UK government over post-Brexit trade rules.

The DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly, another lawmaker, was appointed by the assembly to be O’Neill’s deputy while other top ministerial posts were also being filled.

Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement — also known as the Belfast Agreement — that ended violence and restored self-government in Northern Ireland on the basis of power-sharing, the posts of first minister and deputy first minister are equal.

However, the appointment of a Roman Catholic pro-Irish unity first minister to the assembly is absolutely symbolic, especially in a nation set up as a Protestant-majority state under British rule.

It not only reflects Sinn Fein’s position as Northern Ireland’s biggest political party but also the changing demographics since Ireland was split into two self-governing entities in 1921.

DAY OF OPTIMISM

The 47-year-old pro-Irishu unity leader is taking up the office amid widespread industrial disputes in Northern Ireland over budgetary limitations and collapsing public services.

Called the assembly’s restoration “a day of optimism”, O’Neill urged everyone to put in a joint effort into tackling the problems.

The 47-year-old O’Neill has been first minister-designate since May 2022, when Sinn Fein became the largest party at elections for the 90-seat assembly, which has responsibility for domestic policy areas when sitting. However, she had been unable to take up the post because of the boycott of the assembly by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

With the Republic of Ireland to the south, the Northern Ireland shares the UK’s only land border with the European Union, but under the 1998 peace accord it needs to be kept open, without any infrastructure.

London, meanwhile, struck a separate Brexit trade deal with Brussels over Northern Ireland. The pact mandated port checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from mainland Britain, i,e., England, Scotland and Wales.

Unionists countered that a united Ireland was more likely and that breaking Northern Ireland off from the rest of the UK would be risky if it remained alone in the EU single market and customs union.

After two years of prolonged negotiations, the DUP has returned to power-sharing. It struck a deal with London this week easing the routine checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea, which were destined to remain in Northern Ireland.

The UK government will release a £3.3-billion ($4.2-billion) package to strengthen the struggling public services there. This came after a series of strikes over pay in the last few weeks.

“Today is a good day for Northern Ireland, a day when once again our place in the United Kingdom and its internal market is respected and protected,” DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said at Stormont.

FORMALITIES, PORTFOLIOS & ‘SURRENDER DEAL’

Saturday’s formalities began with the election of a neutral speaker, followed by nominations for the parties entitled to jointly lead the decision-making executive, and ministers for nine departments.

The non-aligned third-biggest party, Alliance, said it will be willing to take the justice portfolio again, and is eligible for another ministry.

The smaller Ulster Unionists are also entitled to a ministerial position but the fifth-largest party, the nationalist SDLP, are not and will form the opposition.

However, smaller, more hardline unionists continue to be bitterly opposed to Stormont’s return, arguing that the “surrender deal” changes nothing.

“We will not be surrendering our land to the EU,” pro-UK activist Mark McKendry told fellow loyalists Thursday, calling on them to “mobilise” in protest.

But others are backing the agreement.

Former first minister and ex-DUP leader Peter Robinson, in a video message shared on Saturday by the party, said it secures “very substantial” progress on safeguarding the union.