For the first time, Northern Ireland has more nationalist than unionist MPs

The journal ^ | 13 Dec 2019 | Dominic McGrath

[Cronos]

WITH ALL OF the results declared in the North’s 18 constituencies, the DUP has emerged as the biggest casualty of the election.

The DUP now has 8 MPs, down from 10 MPs in the last election. Sinn Féin stay the same on 7, a result they’ll be happy with. The SDLP now has two MPs, and the Alliance Party has one in Lady Sylvia Hermon’s former constituency.

Yet while other parties enjoyed major successes – Alliance and the SDLP in particular – the prospect of a Boris Johnson majority means that the Northern Irish MPs can no longer hold the balance of power in Westminster.

Northern Ireland, which experts say will be hit worst by Brexit, now seems destined to be pushed to the periphery of the debate.

This doesn’t mean the election isn’t highly significant. For the first time, nationalist parties have more MPs than unionist parties – a major shift in the North’s politics.

But Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, whose party enjoyed a major coup in North Belfast against Nigel Dodds as well as a crushing defeat in Foyle, put it best at around 4am on Friday morning.

“As it turns out, nobody is going to stop Boris. As we had said, unfortunately no Irish MPs can stop Brexit,” Mary Lou McDonald said.

[Gay State Conservative]

Why have I gotten the distinct impression...starting long ago and continuing to this moment...that Cronos is rooting for Merkel and the EU *as well as* the breakup of the UK?

[Cronos]

Because you jumped to an assumption.

I don’t support Merkel, never have.

The EU after checking the statements against it to be mainly false (with one big exception) is not something you want to demolish without having something to replace it WITH.

As I’ve always said - the EU is flawed, badly flawed, but in need of reform, not destroying without any option.

I do think that right now the breakup of the UK is inevitable. Am I rooting for it? I wouldn’t say rooting as much as “watching with excitement at history unfolding in my lifetime.”
Just as the USSR breaking up was fantastic to watch from a historic point of view, the breaking up of the 209 year old union.

[Impy]

Tidbit you may be interested in, there is finally a right of center Irish nationalist party in NI.

Aontú, Irish for “ “unity” or “consent” was formed this year and ran candidates for Parliament.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aont%C3%BA

It’s a pro-life party and is mildly eurosceptic.

It operates in the Republic as well, ran in the local elections.

For the UK Parliament they ran 7 candidates and got 1.2% of the NI vote.