The Five Demands

Lo Sinn Fein si appresta a tenere la prima grande conferenza nel Regno Unito.
Dovrebbe aver luogo il prossimo anno, preceduta da eventi che si terrano la prossima estate negli Stati Uniti, nel chiaro intento del partito di ottenere un supporto internazionale.
Nigel Dodds, vice leader del DUP, ricorda a Gerry Adams che lo Sinn Fein, pur proclamando l’unità d’Irlanda per l’anno 2016, è ben felice di sedere a Stormont esercitando un potere inglese nell’ambito del sistema politico britannico, supportando il PSNI e il sistema giudiziario britannico.
“Anche quelli che una volta erano i nazionalisti ardenti ora riconoscono come non sia mai stato più vantaggioso per l’Irlanda del Nord, far parte del Regno Unito, ovvero la quinta più grande economia del mondo”.

Sinn Fein to take its case for Irish unity to Britain (Belfast Telegraph)
Sinn Fein is set to enter ‘enemy territory’ by staging its first major conference in Britain.
While republicans resolutely maintain their historic boycott of the House of Commons, the party is planning the event for next year. It will follow separate events in the US this summer as Sinn Fein attempts to build international support for a united Ireland.
Gerry Adams, who told his ard fheis of the plans at the weekend, said: “Our intention is to engage with the Irish diaspora and to marshal its political strength in support of a united Ireland.”
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said, however, Mr Adams has been reduced to holding a ‘conversation’ about Irish unity — while warning the forthcoming European election could still “breathe new life” into the Sinn Fein campaign.
“Sinn Fein representatives have often spoken of their desire to see Ireland unified by 2016, yet today — only a few years from their target date — they sit in Stormont, exercising British power within part of the United Kingdom’s political system and support the Police Service of Northern Ireland and our British justice system,” the Executive Finance Minister said.
“Even those who were once ardent nationalists now recognise that it has never been more beneficial for Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom and the fifth largest economy in the world. It defies logic how Adams and co. could see any economic benefit for Northern Ireland to be operating in a united Ireland context.”
But Mr Dodds went on: “The European election has the potential to breathe that new life into Sinn Fein and their ideals. As a result of bitter unionists splitting the unionist vote Sinn Fein is favourite to come out as the biggest party in this Province-wide electoral test. It need not be the case.”
But the SDLP said both Sinn Fein and the DUP were in danger of deepening the economic crisis facing the province.
Alban Maginness, who is the party’s Euro-candidate, said: “We have a three-year budget which is now badly out of date and which was deeply flawed to begin with. We have an Executive in the tight grip of two parties which are so terrified of disagreeing on any plan of action to deal with the downturn that they prefer to have no plan at all. We are in constant danger of Sinn Fein and the DUP walking us into an even deeper crisis. We are facing hard times and we should be able to expect the Finance minister to make some hard choices. His budget is no longer fit for purpose.”
Mr Adams argued, however: “Building a united Ireland… means more than a change of flags. We need to build this party everywhere. And we need to make political alliances. We also need to build support internationally.”