Sinn Féin Northern leader Michelle O’Neill has insisted the party “wants to see Irish unity” despite admitting last week her pre-election “focus” was on the cost-of-living crisis.
With polling day in the North’s Assembly elections less than a month away, Ms O’Neill also claimed there is “no contradiction” in wanting a united Ireland and “our commitment to power-sharing”.
Some commentators have suggested the party has prioritised the economic crisis over a border poll to win votes after a recent political poll showed just 30 per cent of people in the North would vote for a united Ireland tomorrow.
Responding to the poll’s findings — carried out by the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool and the Irish News, and published last Monday — Ms O’Neill said:
“I don’t think people woke up this morning thinking about that (a united Ireland). I think people woke up this morning thinking about the cost of living crisis... I’m focused on the cost of living crisis.”
When asked by The Irish Times if the party had undergone a “fundamental rethink” in its election strategy on the border poll issue, Ms O’Neill responded:
“Sinn Féin wants to see Irish unity. There is no contradiction in wanting to see Irish Unity and also our commitment to power-sharing, co-operating with others and delivering for all in the political institutions.”
She added: “This election is about real change and about the future.
“Sinn Féin is committed to tackling the cost of living crisis facing workers and families, getting the Executive back up and running and investing an additional billion pounds in the health service to tackle unacceptable waiting lists.”
With other polling suggesting that Sinn Féin is on course to be Stormont’s largest party after the May 5th elections — and Ms O’Neill making history by becoming the first nationalist head of government in the North — political commentator Chris Donnelly said he believed “too much was being read” into perceived changes in the party’s election strategy.
“There was a sense that some people were almost saying that Sinn Féin was in a tail spin trying to change from Irish unity to cost-of-living after the University of Liverpool/Irish News poll,” he said.
“It’s nonsense because their party election broadcast — which would have been organised weeks in advance — focused on pitching to the middle, what I call ‘the persuadables’.
“So they moved onto that turf some time ago. They know what they need to do to increase their seat tally is target potential voters (or those that might give them transfers) who are most vexed by the cost of living crisis — as opposed to just talking about what everybody knows defines Sinn Féin, and that is Irish unity.”
“Just like in the south, Sinn Féin’s primary growth is not because of Irish unity, it’s because of housing and a myriad of other issues.
“But everybody knows that if you’re voting Sinn Féin, you’re also voting for the party which is most strident in support of Irish unity.”