Elections in the North could lead to ‘animosity’

Fresh elections in the North could lead to enmity and animosity and are unlikely to create a radically different assembly.

That was the warning from senior Irish figures last night as the Stormont executive in Belfast collapsed after the ‘cash for ash’ scandal and elections were announced for early March.

After 10 years of partnership between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin, the assembly was dissolved following the resignation of deputy first minister Martin McGuinness over the row. The deadline for Sinn Féin to re-nominate a minister passed at 5pm yesterday.

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams pledged the crisis would not derail the peace process. But he put part of the blame at the door of the Irish and British governments. “What I would be concerned about is that another generation, which has grown up free from conflict, is now seeing the negativity of sectarianism, the negativity of intolerance, the negativity of disrespect.”

Mr Adams said there was an “onus” on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to help resolve the impasse. Mr Kenny last night spoke to British prime minister Theresa May by phone and afterwards said both hoped the election would be respectful and that the North’s institutions would be back up and running as soon as possible.

But others warned about what the collapse of the power-sharing executive might mean. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the elections might not make a huge difference: “I think it is going to generate a lot of bad feeling and enmity and animosity as elections in Northern Ireland tend to do and that will feed into negotiations that have got to take place on the other side of the election.”

Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire also said: “No one should underestimate the challenge faced to the political institutions here in Northern Ireland and what is at stake.”

But Sinn Féin insists there will be no new executive unless DUP leader Arlene Foster steps aside while the cash for ash inquiry proceeds. The renewable heat incentive scandal is set to cost Stormont £490m (€556m). Mr Adams escalated the row by suggesting Ms Foster was a “backwards person” and would never be first minister again.

Another roadblock once elections are over will be the triggering of Brexit.

Mr Adams and deputy party leader Mary Lou McDonald said yesterday they had no plans to run in the North and that Mr McGuinness would announce shortly whether he would contest the elections. The former IRA commander left his hospital bed in Derry yesterday to attend the chamber before the executive was later dissolved.