The Unionists responded with contempt and skepticism to a delegation from the US Congress, which is trying to support support for the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) sparked allegations Monday that the nine-member delegation, which includes Democrats and Republicans from the House of Representatives and the Senate, was partisan and out of touch.
“We are dealing with more American politicians who are one-sided,” Gordon Lyons, the economy minister in Stormont’s conservative chief executive, told the BBC. “We will have a special challenge with Congressman Neil,” he said, referring to Richard Neal, chairman of the Roads and Funds Committee.
Others, such as Jamie Bryson, a prominent loyalist, went further and accused Neil, an ally of President Joe Biden, of supporting the IRA. “We will not be dictated by a foreign politician who acts as a surrogate for republicanism,” he tweeted.
The American visitors are in Ireland at the end of a six-day trip to Europe, which included meetings with Brexit EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels and United Kingdom Foreign Minister Liz Trus in London.
Sign up for the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
The visit is dominated by the protocol, part of the UK’s 2019 divorce agreement with the EU, which avoids imposing a trade and customs border on the island of Ireland by placing it in the Irish Sea. Unionist leaders say it is hurting the economy and undermining the region’s position in the UK.
The Americans told London not to unilaterally tear down parts of the protocol, saying it would violate the Good Friday agreement, which is at the heart of peace in Northern Ireland, and destroy any potential trade deal with the United States.
“I think it’s best, whenever there is a difference of opinion, to sit on the other side of the table and negotiate a common goal. This is the story we celebrate when we think about the benefits of the Good Friday agreement, “Democratic Congressman Dan Kildi told RTÉ.
On Monday, the delegation met with Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou MacDonald and Taoist Michel Martin. Both praised the visitors, reflecting a united front between Dublin and Washington in the minutes. “Negotiations, not unilateral action, the way forward,” Martin tweeted.
Really good meeting with @RepRichardNeal and his colleagues from Congress in government buildings today.
In-depth understanding of the need to protect the GFA and to resolve issues around the Protocol.
Negotiations, not unilateral action, the way forward. pic.twitter.com/tGrY8ICZut
– Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) May 23, 2022
Neil is due to address Seanad, the upper house of the Irish parliament, on Tuesday.
The delegation is scheduled to meet with DUP leaders before returning to the United States on Wednesday. It promises to be a frosty date. Publicly and privately, the unionists accuse the Americans of refusing to acknowledge that the protocol was rejected by most unionists, thus undermining the Good Friday agreement.
On Sunday, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, said that the delegation’s call for full implementation of the protocol was nonsense. “Full implementation of the protocol means ending the grace period with an economic tsunami that has hit Northern Ireland. Sharing power only works by consensus between communities. “
The DUP has thwarted the formation of an executive branch and assembly in Stormont in protest of the protocol.
Add Comment