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26 International THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017

BELFAST--A nationalist ist Party, whose support base majority within a generation
surge at elections in North- is among pro-British Protes- -- as they are in the Republic,
ern Ireland and a Scottish tants, to just one seat. which has a population of 4.8
demand for a second inde- This has revived the slow- million. The northern prov-
pendence referendum have burning question of whether ince suffered three decades
raised doubts over whether Northern Ireland will stay in of sectarian violence, known
the United Kingdom can the United Kingdom over the as the Troubles, which cost
hold together after it leaves long term or become part of 3,600 lives until the Good
the European Union. the Republic of Ireland. This Friday peace agreement was
Last year’s referendum on could be achieved by a refer- signed in 1998.
EU membership saw Eng- endum, often referred to as a Since then, Northern Ire-
land and Wales vote to leave border poll. land had mostly faded into
while Scotland and North- “A border poll might be 10 the background of British
ern Ireland voted to remain, years away and it might still politics, until the collapse in
straining the ties that bind the be lost, but clearly this elec- January of a provincial gov-
UK together. Scottish leader tion has shown a different ernment that shared power
Nicola Sturgeon dealt a blow dynamic in Northern Ireland between the DUP and Sinn
to British Prime Minister politics,” said Peter Shirlow, Fein. Sinn Fein used to be
Theresa May on Monday by Director of Irish Studies at the political wing of the Irish
demanding a new vote on the University of Liverpool. Republican Army, though it
independence in late 2018 or “This opens the door for a has long been committed to
early 2019, making her move different scenario.” A woman walks past a mural in Lendrick Street, a loyalist area in Belfast, Northern Ireland constitutional politics and the
much sooner than expected. Nationalist leader Gerry Ad- March 10, 2016. IRA has laid down its arms.
But while the Scottish issue ams, who is 68 and still hopes lowed it to fall apart. the economic context was a Catholic Ardoyne area, a Renewed momentum to-
had been well flagged since to see a united Ireland in his Opinion polls in the past key part of the picture south frequent flashpoint of com- wards a united Ireland and
the Brexit vote, a snap pro- lifetime, told Reuters Sinn have shown only limited sup- of the border as well. “I don’t munal tensions, no one was an independent Scotland is
vincial assembly election in Fein had sensed new inter- port for Irish unity, includ- think reunification is likely in getting carried away just yet. the last thing May needs as
Northern Ireland produced est in Irish unity from voters. ing among Catholics. That is the short to medium term, “I really hope what hap- she begins the mammoth
a genuine shock: for the first But May, whose party is offi- partly because of high aware- not least because the Irish pened will make a border poll task of negotiating the terms
time since the partition of cially called Conservative and ness of the province’s depen- Republic is rightly wary of more likely, the sooner the of the UK’s exit from the EU
Ireland in 1921, unionists Unionist, has stated a deep dence on public sector jobs, taking on Northern Ireland,” better. But there are more of and of its future trading rela-
lost their majority. National- personal commitment to welfare benefits and other she said. them than us still, so it would tionship with the bloc. Brexit
ist party Sinn Fein, backed by keeping the 300-year-old UK flows of UK cash. But while Irish unity may not need some Protestants to is particularly disruptive for
many of Northern Ireland’s together and is determined Senia Paseta, a professor of be on the cards anytime soon, vote for unity,” said resident Northern Ireland because
Catholics, narrowed the gap not to go down in history as modern Irish history at the the balance of opinion could Sean Doherty. its border with the Republic
with the Democratic Union- the prime minister who al- University of Oxford, said change over time under the Northern Ireland’s popula- is the UK’s only land border
combined impact of Brexit tion of 1.8 million is still ma- with the EU, raising the pros-
and of demographic shifts jority Protestant, although pect of tougher border con-
that could favour Irish na- demographic trends point trols when the UK leaves the
tionalism. In Belfast’s mainly to Catholics becoming the European single market.