Northern Ireland Governing Crisis Explained

Northern Ireland's Elections have not led to a power-sharing arrangement. Though Westminster has used mechanisms to avoid a full suspension of devolved powers, the DUP has refused to enter power-sharing with Sinn Fein.

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[EamonnKee]

The DUP don't care about the Protocol not really. They are making a big thing about it because they can't win on their real issue which is that they dont want to go into power with Sinn Fein where sinn fein has more seats and SF leader would 1st minister.

So the jump on the protocol... something that Northern Ireland is benefitting from..

DUP..DUH

[tonymurphy]

Sorry, but it's not because of Brexit, it's because the DUP refuse to serve with a Sinn Fein majority. It's got precisely nothing to do with the protocol.

[Sdakouls]

Nitpick: Sinn Féin is not the same thing as Republican Sinn Féin. I know you were using Republican as a descriptor, but Republican Sinn Féin is actually the name of a breakaway party, former in 1986, that opposes the Good Friday agreement and is the political arm of the dissident Republican terrorist group the Continuity IRA. Just sounded unusual to Irish ears.

[DaysAgoISawAVehicle]

Getting rid of the DUP sounds like a solution.. Just saying

[Docypher]

The DUP is just pissy that Sinn Féin won fair and square. Literally everything is ready except for the fact that they refuse to take their seats. Classic toddler behaviour.

[mattyn]

The DUP are just being selfish cos they lost to sinn fein

[TankEnMate]

A very minor nitpick; the equivalent opposite of unionist isn't republican, but nationalist. The equivalent opposite of republican is loyalist. In general republicans and loyalists are the more strident wings of the divide. Not all unionists are loyalists, and not all nationalists are republicans. This isn't a truly strict categorisation, but it's pretty close.

[liamcassidy]

I wonder when the DUP will get rid of the D in their name, they’re hardly democratic

[jim-esqk]

Sein Fein collapsed the entire assembly for 3 years because of a failed energy subsidies scheme. You weren't bother then were you? And they do have a government, its same government as the rest of the UK, its based in Westminster.

[jarvis]

N. Ireland doesn't have a government for 6 months

Belgium not having a government for 589 days:

BE: First time?

[addymant]

Worth mentioning that this deadline for calling a general election has been extended at least once by Parliament, from Oct 28 to Dec 08, with the option of an additional six-week extension to Jan 19, which was taken. The Northern Ireland Secretary has still yet to call an election as the law obligates him to do (nor did he before the previous extension).

Also, if an election is called, unless the DUP lose their majority in the unionist community, nothing will have changed. The only major unionist party open to forming a government to my knowledge is the Ulster Unionist Party. The latest poll from LucidTalk (2023 Jan 20-23) shows them performing about as well as they did in 2022, and shows the DUP gaining about 4 percentage points.

[James-tbje]

Correction Westminster is not really involved in decision making in northern Ireland so northern Ireland is currently run by high level public servants that are not elected which also ffeeds into the fact that they can't make legislative change or set budget only try to run northern Ireland with what they have.

[TheTephin]

Yessss!!! Glad William Fox is baaaack baby! And in my shorts now too!!

[joebloggs]

I hope this spells the beginning of the end for the vile DUP. I hope new elections serve to cement the Sinn Fein majority.

[martinmcwhorter]

Has nothing to do with Brexit or the NI protocol. The DUP would use any excuse to not share power as a junior partner.

[neovenom]

And all this political jugaloo hurts the people they are supposed to serve.
It's like this everywhere. Politicians need a kick in their behinds and let them be known they are public servants, not the other way round.

[dresca]

Removing the Dup would only be replaced with another unionist parties. Most likely the Uup.
Less hardliners Christians but still very unionist.
The Sf are a pain to work with aswell.

If NI has any hope of real change it needs a new party system that cares more about its country than ROI or English loyalty

[normanstanleyfletcher]

Once the dup get there 7 tests and are willing to form a government, the 80% of the assembly who aren’t Dup should pull out of the executive force a general election

[AndrewMSmith]

Well if the UK refuses to put up a customs check on the Northern Irish border, will the EU force Ireland to put a customs check on the border?

[ofaoilleachain]

With the DUP gone, that's an improvement. Tiocfaidh ár lá.