As the SNP has set the time for an independence referendum, it is time to put the time in Ireland. The SNP’s independence campaign pursues to hold a vote in 2023. Sinn Fein could begin the Irish Unity referendum 2023 campaign, too.
Brexit Revitalizes Challenges to the Union
Scottish Frist Minister Nicola Sturgeon has proposed 19 October 2023 for the second independence referendum. After the announcement, Queen Elizabeth held a meeting with Sturgeon in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Palace. A Few weeks back, Sturgeon held talks with Sinn Fein’s vice president Michelle O’Neil in Edinburgh. The meeting came after the Sinn Fein’s historic victory at the Northern Ireland Assembly election.
Leaders of both devolved nations discussed shared challenges and highlighted intergovernmental relations. Sturgeon led the Scottish National Party and the devolved government in Scotland. She sought independence from London after Britain’s exit from the European Union. A majority of Scots backed EU membership in the Brexit referendum, and so did the Northern Irish voters. Brexit has invigorated some longstanding challenges to the Union. Nationalists in Scotland and Northern Ireland have discussed independence and possibly joining the EU.
2023 Could Be the Year of the UK’s Split
Scottish National Party (SNP) has pursued holding a second referendum on independence after the EU referendum. The SNP argued that Scots are out of the EU against their will, just like the voters in Northern Ireland. After the historic victory of Sinn Fein at the Assembly election, the party will push for a reunification referendum. Sinn Fein’s President Mary Lou McDonald has mentioned the Irish unity referendum. The SNP has set 2023 for holding the Scottish independence referendum. Thus, the Irish Unity referendum 2023 is possible, too. The SNP’s independence campaign brings hope to Sinn Fein’s success. The nationalist party could pursue the Irish Unity referendum 2023 efforts and take Northern Ireland back to the EU. Before Brexit, there was strong support for the status quo in Northern Ireland. But leaving the EU has caused complex challenges for the people in Northern Ireland.
NI Protocol Indirectly Empowered Irish Unity Ambition
Brexit has awkwardly fixed the regulation and rules by implementing the Northern Ireland protocol. However, the protocol has inflamed the old dispute between the nationalists and the unionists. For the Irish nationalists, British colonialism sliced the island of Ireland, and the border is like a scar. The UK’s departure from the EU’s customs union and single market brought new trade regulations.
The UK and the EU cared about the transfer of goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic in the post-Brexit era. Neither side wanted rules on the island of Ireland for fear of rows in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Protocol allowed the free transfer of goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic. However, it imposed controls between Northern Ireland and Britain and created an invisible border. The sea border between Northern Ireland and Britain could ease Sinn Fein’s path toward the Irish Unity referendum 2023 efforts.
Purpose of Sinn Fein Is the Irish Unity Referendum 2023
Sinn Fein was initially founded in 1905 to fight against British control of the island. It was previously the political wing of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The Irish leaders of Sinn Fein are devoted to the reunification of the island. While the SNP will hold an independence referendum in 2023, Sinn Fein could start the Irish Unity referendum 2023 campaign. Sinn Fein means ‘ourselves’, and the party emphasizes economic, cultural self-sufficiency, and political independence. Sinn Fein believes that Ireland should be united as one country. Its manifest has called for the British and Irish governments to set a date for a referendum. Current leaders of Sinn Fein are in a more powerful position. They should better pursue the Irish Unity referendum 2023 efforts. Otherwise, the British government would do its best to postpone any referendum on this kind.
Nationalistic Ambitions are on a Rise across the UK
The Nationalists’ rise in Northern Ireland has encouraged the nationalists in Scotland to sooner split from London. The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon had called the outcome of the Northern Ireland’s Assembly election a historic result. She wished all her colleagues in Northern Ireland the very best for what came next. The SNP’s leader met Sinn Fein’s Vice-President Michelle O’Neil a few days after both parties’ electoral victories. Brexit boosted desires for Scottish independence and Irish unity. In a 2016 referendum, 52 percent of people in the UK voted to leave the European Union. But 56 percent of Northern Irish voters and 62 percent of Scottish voters backed remaining in the EU. Nevertheless, the UK government forced them out of the 27-nation bloc. During the post-Brexit era, both nations increased their nationalistic ambitions to increase their desires to end British rule.
British Ruling Is Less Popular among Devolved Nations
Post-Brexit arrangements have changed the public mood towards British ruling. During the 90s, the Good Friday Agreement ended the violence between the nationalists and the unionists in Northern Ireland. However, the agreement did not heal the wounds and was most pleasant for the pro-Britain unionists. The Good Friday Agreement says when a majority of voters are in favour of Irish unification, a referendum is possible. Then, the UK government’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland can hold a referendum anytime. Sinn Fein likely argues that there is a public desire for a border poll. A border poll on Irish unity is inevitable, and Sinn Fein will push for it. So, the nationalist party can establish the Irish Unity referendum 2023 campaign.
The latest Northern Ireland election has paved the way for a united Ireland. Sinn Fein, the nationalist party, could win a historic result and will challenge the order on the island of Ireland. Sinn Fein has always said it wanted a united Ireland, and its leaders have promised a border poll as soon as possible. The Tory government’s tough Brexit has put pressure on the households across the United Kingdom.
The Brexit challenges have raised nationalistic sentiments in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The SNP has announced 2023 as the time for holding an independence referendum. The Scottish nationalists’ independence campaign can also bring hope to the Irish nationalists. Sinn Fein can also pursue holding a referendum for a united Ireland in 2023. The prospect of a united Ireland is now more tangible, and the Irish Unity referendum 2023 is possible. The Union is so loose and will fall apart sooner or later.
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