| We are living through a time of extraordinary change. We will have: a pro-independence First Minister here in the North of Ireland, a pro-independence First Minister in Scotland and a pro-independence First Minister in Wales. The demand for independence is growing. The Union is cracking at the seams. This moment has been coming.The failings of Westminster and every British Government have been laid bare. Brexit, austerity, crumbling public services, and a deepening cost-of-living crisis have left more and more people concluding that enough is enough. It is time for change. It is time for independence. On the island of Ireland, we know all too well the effects of Westminster rule and the legacy of partition and discrimination and oppression. My election as the first nationalist and republican First Minister was never meant to happen. But it did. And it happened because more and more people are recognising that a better future lies ahead when decisions about this island are made by all the people of this island, regardless of your background. People want something better and increasingly see Irish unity as part of that better and brighter future. Meanwhile, Westminster politics continues to lurch further to the right.That offers little for Scotland, Wales or for us here in the North of Ireland. So it is time to forge our own futures. Sinn Féin, the SNP and Plaid Cymru are different parties, but we are united in the belief that independence offers the best path forward for our people. The Union doesn’t work. People deserve better. I look forward to working with John Swinney in Scotland and Rhun ap Iorwerth in Wales to deliver for our citizens and to send a clear message that there is an alternative to Westminster failure.That alternative is national self-determination and independence. This Op-Ed first appeared in the May 11 edition of the Irish News. You can read the original here. |
We are living through a time of extraordinary change – Michelle O’Neill
John O'Brien, Jr.https://www.iirish.us
*John is a Founder and the Publisher and Editor of iIrish (2006); a Founder and Deputy Director of Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival for more than 35 years (1982); Founder of Speak Irish Cleveland (2010); A Founder of The Greater Cleveland An Gorta Mor Stone (2000); an archivist, spokesman, emcee, Spoken Word presenter and author of five books, so far.