According to UK correspondent Lia van Bekhoven, the party has emerged in recent years as the progressive party that is not primarily concerned with the reunification of the Republic of Ireland. Sinn Fein represents Irish Catholics who want a united Ireland.
However, Sinn Fein has loomed less emphatically as a reunification party in recent years, according to UK correspondent Lia van Bekhoven. “This is the republican ideal,” she says. “But they’re necessarily interested in things like education, health care, the economy, cost of living, you name it.”
Furthermore, Van Bekhoven says it is important that Sinn Fein has completely severed ties with the Irish Republican Army (IRA). During the day Troubles (the ethno-nationalist conflict in Ireland, which lasted thirty years, ed). The terrorist Ira was linked to Sinn Fein, “but we never hear about that again,” he continues. “The IRA has also disbanded. There is no longer any reference to the past or to the raison d’être of the Republicans. This is really contemporary politics.’
Even in the Republic
But where Sinn Fein is mainly active in Northern Ireland, the party also seems to be firmly established in the Republic of Ireland, where the Catholic parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael dominated for almost a hundred years. “It would surprise no one if Sinn Fein ended up in government in Dublin next year in a national election,” says Van Bekhoven. “And then there are the republicans – whose raison d’être revolves around reunification – in a government position in both the south and north of Ireland.”
Upcoming meeting?
According to Van Bekhoven, the prediction that Sinn Fein will be in both cabinets does not immediately mean that reunification is imminent. He points out that under the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Irish can identify as British, which most unionists do, or Irish, which most Catholics or nationalists do.
“If the majority votes in favor of reunification, the London government will hold a referendum”
However, if it turns out that over a long period of time there is a majority in favor of reunification in both countries, ‘then the government in London will agree to hold a referendum,’ says Van Bekhoven. While a long period is quite understandable, according to Van Bekhoven it should be clear that a majority of Northern Irish people are in favor of a possible reunification before a referendum is held.
Van Bekhoven himself sees that reunification is still ongoing, although it depends entirely on which Northern Irishman you ask. “For some it’s a matter of logic and inevitability, like in East and West Germany,” he continues. “But others see it as idealistic and not feasible.”
status quo
He also said that it is clear that the status quo in Northern Ireland is under significant pressure, especially after Brexit, which most Northern Irish people voted against. “But they figured it out, so it’s hard to deny,” she says. “I think the reunion will be over a period of time.”
Certainly if you look at the polls, which show that ‘only’ a quarter of Northern Irish people want to join the Irish republic, ‘so two-thirds want to keep the situation as it is now’, explains Van Bekhoven. In the south the situation is reversed. There are two-thirds of it for the reunification of the two Irish. However, the reason why it is being debated now is because the majority in both Irelands are in favor of a referendum on long-term reunification.’