“Stormont’s founding fathers must be turning in their graves. They’d never have let someone like her through the door. The architects of Northern Ireland could never have envisaged what happened in Stormont today when the six-county state’s boundaries were drawn. Those meant to be the permanent minority now hold the keys to the highest political office in the land.” Suzanne Breen, The Belfast Telegraph, February 3, 2024.
A political earthquake hit Stormont (the home of Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly) this afternoon as Michelle O’Neill became the first nationalist (those who want Northern Ireland to join the Irish republic) to hold the office of first minister. To understand the significance of this development, it is necessary to turn the clock back almost one hundred years to the time when Ireland was partitioned, and the state of Northern Ireland was created.
The entire political system was created to ensure that someone like Michelle O’Neill would never occupy the highest position in the land. James Craig, Northern Ireland’s first prime minister, once boasted that “we have a protestant parliament for a protestant people.” In addition, Craig argued that once the unionists had their own parliament, “no power on earth would ever be able to touch them.” In her first speech as first minister, O’Neill pointed out that a nationalist becoming first minister would have been unimaginable to those of her parents’ or grandparents’ generation.
O’Neill’s ascendancy, to paraphrase Yeats, changed utterly the political dynamics that have operated in Northern Ireland for a century. Today’s development was the result of the wins that Sinn Fein garnered in the legislative election in May of 2022. This election made Sinn Fein the largest party in legislative assembly. Since then, Sinn Fein has continued to grow in political strength. In May of last year, Sinn Fein became the largest party at local councils in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein’s performance in the local council elections was remarkable as they won seats in areas that would have seemed impossible a few years ago.
In the May 2022 legislative elections, O’Neill and all of Sinn Fein ran on a slogan of a “first minister for all.” For almost two years, O’Neill has worked to translate this slogan into reality. Symbols are important in politics generally and in Ireland they are especially important. After the death of Queen Elizabeth, O’Neill said that she learned of the death of the Queen with “deep regret” and that she recognized “the profound sorrow of our neighbours from within the unionist community who will feel her loss deeply.” O’Neill became the first Irish republican representative at a British coronation.
Today at Stormont, O’Neill continued her outreach to the unionist community saying: “I will serve everyone equally and be a First Minister for All. To all of you who are British and unionist: Your national identity, culture and traditions are important to me. I will be both inclusive and respectful to you. None of us are being asked or expected to surrender who we are. Our allegiances are equally legitimate. Let’s walk this two-way street and meet one another halfway. I will be doing so with both an open hand and with heart.” In addition, O’Neill said that she was “sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict — without exception.” This embracing of the shared sorrow that Northern Ireland has been through is a major step in building a new political culture.
Being the first in any position carries a special burden. O’Neill is no doubt all too aware of this. She faces many challenges including a cost-of-living crisis and a health care system that most people feel is on the brink of collapse. The media will be closely watching to see if she translates her promise of a first minister for all into reality.
While O’Neill will be dealing with pressing economic and social issues, she will also be working to promote a united Ireland. She has already indicated that she will bring up this topic when she meets with British Prime Minister Sunak. In her role as first minister, O’Neill has a unique opportunity to advance the idea of a united Ireland by addressing Northern Ireland’s problems and truly being a first minster for all. Achieving these goals could well serve as an example of what Sinn Fein could do in the Irish Republic if they won enough seats to form a government. A Sinn Fein government in both Northern Ireland and in the Republic would go a long way toward setting up a referendum on Irish unity.
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