One (of the many) perplexing things that have come out of Brexit is the whole issue of the British Border in Ireland. Something that is intensified , by the fact that for many of us on the larger Island the only voice we here is that of the Democratic Unionist Party.
Although it is the largest of the Northern Ireland parties with 10 of 18 MPs and 27 of 90,the Northern Ireland Assembly, it is by no means the voice of the whole of Northern Ireland partly due to Sinn Féin, not taking their 7 seats in the House of Commons and a failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to be formed following the 2017 election, which saw the unionist block lose its Assembly majority for the first time
This means that the DUP they are in a position to completely dictate the whole of the border issues even to the extent of influencing what kind of Brexit we could achieve . Indeed if we end up with a No Deal even though had overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU Referendum by a majority of 56% to 44%. and in fact were the only major Northern Ireland party to support leave.
Despite the Sinn Féin absenteeism and the failure of the Assembly to meet , we are given the impression that those representing Northern Ireland are in favour of a Hard Border and if need be a No Deal.
In this they are playing a dangerous game for as political betting points out
"a new Northern Ireland polling suggests that a no deal Brexit could lead to what the IRA never achieved – a united Ireland"
Only a vote to Remain seems to guarantee the very thing the DUP seem to be defending.
Some will naturally think that this could be a good thing . but although I support a United Ireland , the danger of a return to before the Good Friday Agreement perhaps with Unionist Paramilitaries as the insurgents is very worrying .
It is time we hear other voices from Northern Ireland rather than just a party that speaks for less than 30% of the electorate there.
Although it is the largest of the Northern Ireland parties with 10 of 18 MPs and 27 of 90,the Northern Ireland Assembly, it is by no means the voice of the whole of Northern Ireland partly due to Sinn Féin, not taking their 7 seats in the House of Commons and a failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to be formed following the 2017 election, which saw the unionist block lose its Assembly majority for the first time
| Party / Candidate | 1st Pref Votes | 1st Pref % | (+/-) | Seats | (+/-) |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 225,413 | 28.1% | (-1.1%) | 28 seats | (-10) |
| Sinn Féin | 224,245 | 27.9% | (+3.9%) | 27 seats | (-1) |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 103,314 | 12.9% | (+0.3%) | 10 seats | (-6) |
| Social Democratic & Labour Party | 95,958 | 11.9% | (-0.1%) | 12 seats | - |
| Alliance Party | 72,717 | 9.1% | (+2.1%) | 8 seats | - |
| Traditional Unionist Voice | 20,523 | 2.6% | (-0.8%) | 1 seat | - |
| Green Party | 18,527 | 2.3% | (-0.4%) | 2 seats | - |
| People Before Profit Alliance | 14,100 | 1.8% | (-0.2%) | 1 seat | (-1) |
| Progressive Unionist Party | 5,590 | 0.7% | (-0.2%) |
This means that the DUP they are in a position to completely dictate the whole of the border issues even to the extent of influencing what kind of Brexit we could achieve . Indeed if we end up with a No Deal even though had overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU Referendum by a majority of 56% to 44%. and in fact were the only major Northern Ireland party to support leave.
| ition on European Union membership referendum | Political parties | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remain | Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | [31][32] | |
| Green Party in Northern Ireland | [33] | ||
| Sinn Féin | [34] | ||
| Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) | [35] | ||
| Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) | [36] | ||
| Leave | |||
| Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) | [37][38] | ||
| People Before Profit Alliance (PBP) | [39] | ||
| Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) | [40] | ||
Despite the Sinn Féin absenteeism and the failure of the Assembly to meet , we are given the impression that those representing Northern Ireland are in favour of a Hard Border and if need be a No Deal.
In this they are playing a dangerous game for as political betting points out
"a new Northern Ireland polling suggests that a no deal Brexit could lead to what the IRA never achieved – a united Ireland"
Only a vote to Remain seems to guarantee the very thing the DUP seem to be defending.
Some will naturally think that this could be a good thing . but although I support a United Ireland , the danger of a return to before the Good Friday Agreement perhaps with Unionist Paramilitaries as the insurgents is very worrying .
It is time we hear other voices from Northern Ireland rather than just a party that speaks for less than 30% of the electorate there.
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