Northern Ireland: A new dawn ushered in by the first republican minister

Four years ago to today, the UK left the European Union.

At 23:00 GMT on January 31, 2020 (midnight Brussels time, January becomes February locally), the EU shrank and the UK withdrew.

Four years on, a modern solution to one of Brexit’s most troubling consequences, or at least a selected Brexit profile, has emerged.

The government has published a so-called command paper detailing changes to the post-Brexit Northern Ireland arrangement that could tempt Democratic Unionists, or at least most Democratic Unionists, to return to a power-sharing form of government.

It’s 80 pages long and is meant to be read as a flood of reassurance, especially for the Democratic Unionist Party.

The central argument that Northern Ireland must be “an integral part of the United Kingdom’s economic union” is reiterated over and over again.

The document acknowledges that the original Brexit model did not work for Northern Ireland, and that the Windsor Framework, which attempted to improve it, did not go far enough.

Although the government has received much praise in the House of Commons, there have also been criticisms and skepticism.

And even if the executive and Northern Ireland parliament are functioning, it is clear that the effects of Brexit will remain as fault lines in Northern Ireland’s politics and economy.

Once they pass, attention naturally shifts back to Belfast.

Not only will devolution be restored and Northern Ireland’s government function, there is also the prospect of a Sinn Féin Prime Minister, Michelle O’Neill, taking office.

The weakness of my profession, journalism, is that we occasionally splurge on hyperbole and hyperbole, attaching the word “historic” to forgettable footnotes and miracles of one day.

But the arrival of Sinn Féin’s first minister will be a landmark moment. The party hopes to one day unite with the Republic of Ireland.

And let’s look at the Republic. Sinn Féin made strides in the last general election, and although opinion poll numbers have fallen recently, they suggest Sinn Féin is the most popular party in Ireland and are likely to win a general election in the next year or so. Elections are scheduled.

Yes, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland have equal legal powers and neither can make any decisions without the consent of the other.

However, one job title includes the word “deputy.” And the other is not.

The parliamentary leader of the largest party became the first minister, and Sinn Féin won more seats than any other party for the first time in Northern Ireland’s devolution elections in May 2022.

Michelle O’Neill’s appointment as the country’s first minister will be a historic moment.