LAST UPDATE | 31 Oct 2022
TAOISEACH MICHEAL MARTIN has said he believes the political system in Northern Ireland – which requires unionist and nationalist parties to share power – is “not fit for purpose”.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Martin said “there’s a reason why” power sharing was introduced 25 years ago under the Good Friday Agreement, but now “there is room for the parties to look at changing the system.”
He said: “The system does polarise and it is not fit for purpose … The electoral system should not be one that constantly reinforces polarisation.”
Devolved government in Northern Ireland has been in flux since February when the DUP withdrew ministers in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The six-month deadline for a new executive to be formed following Assembly elections in May passed on Friday, however Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has not yet called a fresh election.
In a statement todayk Downing Street has said is “not aware” of any plans for an update on an election
The DUP has refused to engage with the devolved institutions in Belfast in the wake of May’s Assembly election, meaning it has not been possible to form an executive.
According to current legislation he must call an election within the next 12 weeks.
However Sinn Féin Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said she believes the “real motivation” is that the DUP is not comfortable entering an executive led by her party for the first time.
The election in May saw Sinn Féin overtake the DUP to become the first nationalist party to be the biggest at Stormont. This entitles Sinn Féin to nominate a first minister for the first time.
She told Sky: “I don’t think it’s lost on the wider public that the DUP don’t like the May election result, I don’t think it’s lost on the wider public that they have difficulty in forming a government to be a deputy first minister to my mandate which is to be the first minister given the recent election results.”
The Alliance party, which doest not designate as either unionist nor nationalist, has said the DUP should not act as a barrier to a functioning executive.
Martin said: “There’s a healthy spread of parties now. We should explore an amended system.”
‘Threat’ of election
Sinn Féin has today insisted that the British government must follow through with its threat to call an election.
Conor Murphy MLA told BBC Radio Ulster: “It’s just, I think, symptomatic of a general degree of chaos that’s going on within the Conservative Party over the last number of months.”
The incumbent Stormont Finance Minister said: “We’ve been collateral damage from that … We’ve been very clear that we want to see the Executive and the Assembly up and running.
“That deadline has now passed because the DUP prevented it again last Thursday, and so now the law requires us to move to an election and that’s what we need to do.”
He added: “The DUP are holding out to get some certainty from a Government that isn’t certain itself about what it’s doing, and it’s preventing the rest of us from getting on with the business of providing support to people here in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
The DUP’s former economy minister Gordon Lyons suggested the Government had wrongly believed that its threat about calling an election would force his party to drop its block on powersharing.
“I think that the feeling within the Northern Ireland Office was a threat of an election would change the DUP’s mind – it’s not going to,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
Lyons said talk of an election was a “distraction” from the “real work” the Government needed to do to resolve issues with the protocol.
In a statement yesterday evening, Heaton-Harris said his meetings with the parties would be used to “discuss next steps”, including how he will ensure public services continue to run, protect the public finances and consider options on MLA pay.
Heaton-Harris is also to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, later in the week.
He reiterated his disappointment that an executive was not formed.
“The duty to call an election is not one I bear lightly, and I will be outlining to the parties that the people of Northern Ireland deserve a strong and accountable government,” he said.
“In the meantime, I will work tirelessly to protect the interests of the citizens of Northern Ireland.
Downing Street said it is “not aware” of any plans for an update on an election in Northern Ireland during talks with leaders over the coming days.
It comes as Heaton-Harris is set to meetO’Neill, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, Alliance leader Naomi Long and UUP leader Doug Beattie tomorrow.
The Cabinet minister failed to set a date for a new election on Friday despite repeatedly indicating he would as a legislative deadline for calling a poll approached.
Asked if there will be an update from Mr Heaton-Harris with regard to the election, the PM’s official spokesman said: “I’m not aware of any plans for that during those visits. The rules are the date needs to be announced as soon as reasonably practicable. But I don’t have an update for you.”
Additional reporting by Press Association and Rónán Duffy
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