Owen Jones speaks to Mary Lou McDonald about Brexit, the implications for the peace process and the possibility of a united Ireland, and tries to answer once and for all why her party will never take its seats in the British parliament
Continue reading...Category Archives: Sinn Fein
Brexit: EU official doubts backstop assurances will persuade MPs – Politics live
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen
Turning back to Marin Selmayr for a moment, Mina Andreeva, the European commission’s deputy chief spokeswoman has posted a tweet that seems intended to mollify Brexiters upset by the tone of his intervention earlier. She was responding to Fraser Nelson, editor of the pro-Brexit Spectator.
For the sake of completeness:
1/ @MartinSelmayr made clear that @MichelBarnier is @EU_Commission’s chief negotiator. https://t.co/AILUEJwCit
2/ @EU_Commission always open to listen - in full respect of national parliaments. Our position is expressed here: https://t.co/GKRKYR7pfM
Lord Trimble, the former Ulster Unionist party leader who won a Nobel peace prize for his role in the Good Friday agreement, has announced that he and others “are planning to take the government to court over the protocol on Northern Ireland - which includes the so-called “backstop” - as it breaches the terms of the Good Friday agreement.”
The announcement came in a three sentence press statement from Global Britain, a pro-Brexit thinktank. It said:
The Nobel peace prize winner and architect of the Good Friday agreement plans to initiate judicial review proceedings to ensure that the protocol is removed from the withdrawal agreement.
Lord Trimble says that alternative arrangements - as outlined in A Better Deal And A Better Future - should be put in place instead.
Continue reading...Derry: suspected car bomb explosion investigated
Police Service of Northern Ireland warns public to stay away from city centre street
A suspected car bomb has exploded on a city centre street in Derry.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland tweeted a photograph of an explosion in Bishop Street warning people to stay away.
Continue reading...Easter Commemoration Attacked by Psni
The PSNI have this afternoon attacked an Easter commemoration in Lurgan, County Armagh, injuring a woman and dramatically raising tensions ahead of a weekend of commemorative events. It is understood to be the first time in years that a commemorative event has been attacked by the Crown Forces.
Coveney warns of government collapse amid row over Frances Fitzgerald’s future
Ireland's minority government is facing crisis as a row over the future of its deputy premier threatened the confidence and supply deal keeping the Fine Gael-led administration in power Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister has said that the country does not need an election in the midst of crucial Brexit negotiations. Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister has said that the country does not need an election in the midst of crucial Brexit negotiations.
Ireland’s minority government faces crisis over Frances Fitzgerald’s future
Ireland's minority government is facing crisis as a row over the future of its deputy premier threatens the confidence and supply deal keeping the Fine Gael-led administration in power. Ireland's minority government is facing crisis as a row over the future of its deputy premier threatens the confidence and supply deal keeping the Fine Gael-led administration in power.
Here is a guide to how Britain’s election will work
Marred by two terror attacks during the campaign, Britain's snap general election on Thursday will decide who shapes the United Kingdom's future as it leaves the European Union. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who came to power without a national vote last year after David Cameron's resignation, called the election three years early after just one year in charge.
The redemption of Martin McGuinness
Of all that was said and done in the immediate wake of Martin McGuinness's death on Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth's decision to sit down and write a private letter of condolence to his widow, Bernie, might take the cake. Some context: In 1979, the Irish Republican Army blew up the queen's cousin, Lord Mountbatten, who was really more like her favorite uncle.
Global turmoil on the cards as Britain votes out of EU
Britain has voted to leave the European Union, results from Thursday's landmark referendum showed, a stunning repudiation of the nation's elites that deals the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two. World financial markets plunged as nearly complete results showed a 51.8/48.2 percent split for leaving.
United Kingdom votes to leave EU in historic referendum
The Leave campaign will win the UK referendum on EU membership, CNN predicts. With more than 98% of districts reporting, there are not enough votes left uncounted to change the result.
Brexit vote: “Leave” wins stunning victory, but Scotland and N. Ireland vote to Remain
A majority of voters in the United Kingdom of Great Britain have decided to break up with the European Union, British mass media outlets are projecting, stunning financial markets and pundits who had predicted a victory for the Remain campaign when all was said and done. At around midnight Eastern time and 9 PM Pacific, the Leave side had a lead of over 700,000 votes, and was winning handily in England and Wales, but losing Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Gibraltar.