Three years to the day after its dissolution on the back of scandal and strong political dissension, the Northern Irish executive is again in place. The main parties in the British province – the Unionist DUP and the Republican Sinn Fein – have finally reached an agreement, just in time to deal with the consequences of Brexit, scheduled for January 31.
The British and Irish governments pushed a "phew" of relief on Saturday 11 January. Less than three weeks before Brexit, Northern Ireland will finally be able to take essential practical decisions: investing in education, the health system, whose crisis is worse than in the rest of the United Kingdom, in its transport . Essential adjustments as the crucial year for the island and the United Kingdom opens with the imminent exit from the European Union.
"We can once again look to the future with confidence with an executive who will be able to improve the lives of Northern Ireland", welcomed Boris Johnson on Saturday, while his Irish alter ego, Leo Varadkar, bowed for a moment 'Historic'. On January 9, 2017, the Assembly of Stormont (the name given to the Northern Irish executive, set up in 1998 as part of the peace agreements of the "Good Friday Agreement"), had abruptly closed its doors, following revelations concerning an expensive program of aid to renewable energies, whose Arlene Foster, then Prime Minister (and patron of DUP), was at the origin.
Late reconciliation
The Unionist party also categorically opposed Sinn Fein's request that Irish Gaelic have the same official language status in Northern Ireland as English. In reality, tensions between the two parties had steadily increased following the referendum in favor of Brexit in June 2016. The DUP had sided alongside the Eurosceptic Conservatives for the exit, while Sinn Fein opposed the divorce from the European Union (EU).
On Saturday, DUP leader Arlene Foster returned to the post of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland while Sinn Fein chief Michelle O’Neil was appointed deputy prime minister. Functions mechanically assigned to the first and second parties in the province. But perfectly equal attributions: the two women will govern together, at the same hierarchical level. So go the subtleties of the Northern Irish political game, in a nation still marked by "troubles", where identity issues (Catholics against Protestants, Unionists against Republicans) remain highly sensitive.
