Opinion

Brian Feeney: Sinn Féin emerges stronger as DUP falls apart

Brian Feeney

Brian Feeney

Historian and political commentator Brian Feeney has been a columnist with The Irish News for three decades. He is a former SDLP councillor in Belfast and co-author of the award-winning book Lost Lives

Edwin Poots warned that a refusal to nominate a Stormont deputy first minister could put peace at risk
Edwin Poots warned that a refusal to nominate a Stormont deputy first minister could put peace at risk Edwin Poots warned that a refusal to nominate a Stormont deputy first minister could put peace at risk

Forty years ago, amid chaotic scenes Denis Healey was re-elected deputy leader of the British Labour party, narrowly defeating a challenge by left-winger Tony Benn who had the massive block votes of the unions behind him.

The waiting journalists pointed out the closeness of the vote. “It doesn’t matter”, said Healey. “The left wing are so confused they’re stabbing each other in the front.”

However, it did matter. The split in the Labour party widened, never healed, and remains irreconcilable today.

Ian Knox cartoon 18/6/21 
Ian Knox cartoon 18/6/21  Ian Knox cartoon 18/6/21 

As you read here three weeks ago, the DUP cleavage which split open at the Crowne Plaza on May 27 ended the party as you know it. The DUP will never recover. The Paisley faction and the Dodds/Donaldson faction are now stabbing each other in the front: it’s open warfare.

Thanks to the ineptitude, arrogance and sheer stupidity of Poots the party has fallen to bits much sooner than expected.

The twittersphere was alight with vengeful tweets from the losing side led by Arlene Foster at lunch hoping, “everyone is having a great day this lovely sunny afternoon.” Obviously it would have been a cold lunch, not because of the sun, but because revenge is a dish best served cold. The funniest remark was from our bewildered proconsul who called for a ‘stable executive’ after brokering an unsellable deal. You’d need a heart of stone not to laugh at the melodrama.

What does it all mean? First, the executive will collapse since it was established on a basis that the DUP will not accept and therefore cannot continue in face of a party revolt. Since the first and deputy first ministers were validly elected that postpones the time required for re-nomination and we have an action replay of last week’s brinkmanship. Nevertheless, Sinn Féin will hold our proconsul to his promise to legislate Acht Gaelige in the autumn; that does not depend on the re-establishment of what he calls ‘a stable executive’.

On the bigger picture, SF emerges enormously stronger. One of the reasons the party didn’t relish collapsing the executive on the matter of Acht Gaelige was the immediate attacks that would provoke from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael accusing SF of destabilising the north and of being an unreliable coalition partner. With their eyes firmly fixed on the aim of winning the next election in the south SF needed to appear responsible. With the DUP falling to bits SF no longer has any worries on that score. DUP talk about the primacy of the pandemic and waiting lists is now seen for the opportunism it was. It is they who are prepared to wreck the executive and assembly on the rock of Acht Gaelige.

The DUP will inevitably split before it vanishes in an orange and blue haze. Unionism will realign. The question is, in which direction will the larger bit of the DUP head? The answer is obvious. When unionism splits the majority fragment heads towards the most extreme position. It’s a powerful advert for the success of partition, eh?