The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is facing a milestone moment of truth: return to Stormont or accept the alternative — direct rule from the UK and Dublin — an outcome that would weaken the union the DUP seeks to protect. The party is between a rock and a hard place this weekend, but the time for obfuscation is over. The DUP has run out of road. Two years on from elections in Northern Ireland, the power-sharing assembly and executive has still not returned. But the time to end the standoff has arrived. The DUP simply must return to Stormont and work with a democratically elected Sinn Féin first minister.
To fail to do so would underline claims, which are denied by the DUP, that the real reason it is refusing to return is because it cannot countenance a Sinn Féin first minister. To fail to accept the outcome of elections on that basis is unconscionable, so it is critical now for the future of Northern Ireland that the DUP lays such claims to rest by returning to Stormont.
Northern Ireland’s government collapsed after the DUP withdrew in protest against post-Brexit trade checks between the region and Great Britain. The UK then agreed a new deal with the European Union called the Windsor Framework, aimed at addressing issues with the previous deal, the Northern Ireland Protocol. But the DUP has said this did not go far enough, and the party has been in talks with the UK government since; it is now seeking further compromise.
In negotiations, some concessions have been made, but not enough to satisfy more hardline elements within the party. DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has consistently dithered on this issue, which indicates that he does not have sufficient control and influence to bring the wider party membership with him. He came to the brink of returning to Stormont with a compromise deal last month, then pulled out at the last minute.
He did the same again last week, even as public-sector workers closed down Northern Ireland and took to the streets in protests related to the cost of living. The Northern Secretary has offered a £3.3bn (€3.8bn) financial package including funds to settle public sector pay claims, but the offer is contingent on the Stormont institutions being restored.
Donaldson knows what has to be done, and gives the impression of a man who personally wants back into Stormont because, ultimately, he knows it would be better for the union and the DUP. There are no more concessions to be wrought. He also knows he will not get rid of the Irish Sea border, which is a problem for him because he promised his voters he would never return to Stormont while it was there.
Donaldson has a choice: try to spin that black is white, or honestly tell his supporters that the lesser of two evils is restoring governance to Northern Ireland.
He should adopt the honesty approach, not only because it is generally good to be honest, but because it is more likely to produce stability. The chaos of the last two years has not been good for anyone, but it has been especially bad for unionism. And the Lord knows, Northern Ireland could do with a sustained period of stability. It is time for Donaldson and the DUP to see the bigger picture.
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