Michelle O’Neill says UK elections on track for ‘seismic change in politics’
By Claudia Savage, Press Association
Local elections in the UK are “on track to be a seismic change in politics”, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said.
Deputy First Minister and DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly said promising early results for nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales do not show a desire for change “on the constitutional question”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said “more fragmentation in politics” is indicative of a Europe-wide political trend, adding that local and general elections are “two different beasts completely”.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer said he was hurting from “tough” results which saw Labour lose hundreds of councillors in local elections in England.
In Scotland, SNP leader John Swinney has said he is expecting his party to win a record fifth consecutive term in power in the Scottish Parliament.
In Wales, Labour is expected to be reduced from 29 to around 10 members in the Senedd, with a party spokesperson saying they are “deeply disappointed” they will not lead the government.
The leaders of the Stormont Executive spoke alongside Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee after a meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in Co Armagh.
At the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis last month, O’Neill said the prospect of three nationalist first ministers leading devolved governments showed the union is “cracking at the seams”.
She told reporters in Armagh on Friday she did not want to be “premature”, and votes are still being counted, but “the outcome looks to be on track to be a seismic change in politics”.
“I think it sends a very strong message that people are tired of the shackles of Westminster, both in Scotland and Wales, but I’ll let the leaders of the parties that have entered into those races speak more about that,” she said.
“I will work, in good faith, with whoever comes out the other side of the elections and work with them and where we have common ground and I think that the common ground that we certainly have with, I certainly have, with the SNP and Plaid (Cymru) is in the area of national self-determination.”
Little-Pengelly said early indications show “people are frustrated with those that are currently in power”.
“I do think that this is an indication of a desire for change, but I don’t think that that is on the constitutional question.
“I think it’s a sense of, parties have had the opportunity to try to implement and to deliver, and there’s a frustration with that.”
She added: “I think this is about trying to give some others the opportunity to come in and deliver for people on core public services.
“So I do think we have to take all of these things in the context in which this is happening.”
The Taoiseach said he was hesitant to comment on “politics of another jurisdiction” but cautioned against “extrapolating from a local election the result of a subsequent general election, they are two different beasts completely”.
“I think there is increasing fragmentation across politics everywhere,” Mr Martin said.
“If you look across the European Union, its coalition governments, more or less in quite the majority of states.
“We’ve a fragmented sort of scenario in the Republic, so you are witnessing more and more fragmentation in politics and in electoral outcomes.
“It’s just an observation of what’s been happening across Europe.”
The Tánaiste said he would not comment directly because Ireland has “worked long and hard enough to disentangle ourselves from British elections”.
He added: “I am reminded of the time President Clinton made the point that the people have spoken in that it might just take a bit of time to work out exactly what they’ve said.”
