A tricky question on Good Morning Britain for Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald
's appearance on Monday's Good Morning Britain on ITV.
After calling for a united Ireland, the
Sinn Féin
president was asked by presenter Richard Madeley: 'Why do you want
Northern Ireland
still so badly? Because, economically, I think it's fair to say it's close to being a basket case at the moment. This country pays it a huge amount in terms of subsidies to Ulster, far more than we get back.'
This question was full of horror for unionists, in language and tone. Madeley's view of Northern Ireland as a different country leaching off his own is presumably widespread. A decade ago, ITV dropped a plan to change the title of Good Morning Britain to Good Morning UK. Perhaps it thought the audience would be as confused about the distinction as its presenter.
But the question was also full of traps for McDonald, even if Madeley appeared to have sprung them unwittingly.
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Since 2013 Sinn Féin has insisted Northern Ireland requires almost no subsidy, as the £10 billion-plus subvention is a perfidious British accounting trick. In recent years it has simultaneously condemned the Irish Government for economic mismanagement while boasting that the Republic is booming and could easily afford what costs of unification remain.
The party restated this two weeks ago, following an academic report. Its subvention claim assumes Britain would continue paying State and unfunded public service pensions to Northern Ireland, without collecting any taxes. Although this is highly implausible, it is Sinn Féin's position and McDonald was put on the spot over it.
Describing Northern Ireland as a basket case might also have raised republican hackles. Sinn Féin has co-governed Stormont for almost two decades. Since the start of this decade it has increasingly claimed leadership of economic policy, taking control of the Department of Finance and adding the Department for the Economy last year, when it also took the First Minister's chair.
Sinn Féin has used these positions to develop what are supposedly flagship policies on labour market reform, an industrial strategy and fiscal devolution. It has sought credit for Northern Ireland's unique post-Brexit trading arrangements, claiming these have grown investment and cross-Border trade.
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John FitzGerald: Irish unification would hit South harder than 2008 crash
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This seizing of the reins has been accompanied by promises of prosperity for all through Stormont, serving the goal of a united Ireland. Sinn Féin has given every impression of having resolved the conundrum, for republicans, of how to govern Northern Ireland successfully while also seeking to end its existence.
The party could claim this is beginning to work, although few of its policies have yet been implemented. Northern Ireland has been the best-performing part of the UK since Brexit by some measures and even its subvention is no longer an outlier: Scotland had a slightly larger subsidy per head in 2023.
Scottish nationalists point to this to argue for rejoining the EU through independence. Sinn Féin could do likewise.
Instead, McDonald simply echoed Madeley. 'The North is consistently in economic difficulties because it is not economically viable as a territory,' she replied.
The Sinn Féin president then headed off to her main engagement in London, alongside First Minister Michelle O'Neill, to address the UK's Foreign Press Association on a united Ireland. Both women made their case, yet again, in terms of Northern Ireland requiring almost no subvention.
Sinn Féin could say none of this is necessarily contradictory and it is delivering economic progress in Northern Ireland despite the poor hand history has dealt it. But McDonald could not bring herself to say this on ITV.
Obviously, Sinn Féin is tailoring its message to different audiences.
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Leo Varadkar: 'All trends point towards Irish unification in the next few decades'
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The message to the British public is 'let us take this expensive burden off your hands', without revealing it expects Britain to keep paying the bills. The pensions claim is to reassure the Republic unification would be painless. Even a perfectly manageable amount of pain is seemingly too much to ask.
Constant complaining in the Dáil about the Irish economy is to be expected of an opposition party. But Sinn Féin is a party of government in Northern Ireland and people there hear its contradictory spinning elsewhere. On Tuesday DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said Sinn Féin ministers 'need to be open with the public – are they working to promote our economy or have they simply binned it as economically unviable?'
While this is unlikely to cause a serious row at Stormont, the depressing long-term implications are starting to sink in. Sinn Féin has not resolved the conundrum of making Northern Ireland work, nor is it giving serious economic thought to a united Ireland.
It is just marking time until a Border poll – still maybe decades away – by telling everyone whatever it thinks they want to hear.
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, August 7th: On the wisdom of Metrolink, abortion data, and the red fox
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Sir, – Why does The Irish Times continue to publish the opinions of billionaires about public transport projects? When was the last time Denis Desmond took a train? He tells us that self-driving cars will mean there are fewer cars on the road, and thus no need for the Metro. Even a brief moment of introspection will show this to be the opposite of the case. Self-driving cars will likely spend more time on the road as they cruise around looking to pick up passengers, just as taxis do today. Would car manufacturers really be investing in AI if they thought it would result in fewer car sales? AI will likely make Dublin's traffic much worse, not better. It will be the same the world over. China, no laggard on AI, is massively expanding its public transport system in the coming years. Dublin absolutely does need a metro. – Yours, etc, Dr MARK SUGRUE, Donaghmede, Dublin 13. Sir, – I have just read the report about Dermot Desmond and the proposed metro system. 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In addition to inadequately completed notifications returns, the limited data sought in the forms leaves much to be desired as it only provides the total number of abortions performed by month and county. This excluded collecting data such as age, gravidity, and gestational age. Knowing this information is important to inform the public about the scale and nature of abortion in Ireland, but also to allow researchers and policymakers to identify trends. When the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was being drafted in autumn 2018 after the referendum in the same year, an amendment to the legislation was tabled which would have ensured that such comprehensive data was included in the notifications form. The amendment sought the same data as that collected in the English HSA4 form. But the government of the day rejected this motion outright, instead opting for limited data collection. 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Looking busy Sir, – Greg Maxwell's letter (August 2nd) on the matter of 'The look of looking busy' and the experience of the late Sam McAughtry reminds me of my own experience many years ago, coincidently again in the Department of Agriculture but here in Dublin. I was assigned early in my civil service career to the minister's office and during the day, made a point of dutifully clearing my desk and ensuring that all files and correspondence were dealt with . On one of these days, the deputy secretary general of the department stopped, looked at my pristine desk, and his advice was: 'Never sit at an empty desk, always have a significant number of files at hand, at least two open, and avoid looking up or interrupting your close scrutiny of all these documents.' I took his advice but I doubt if my career blossomed to the same extent as Sam's. – Yours, etc, MARTIN McDONALD, Terenure, Dublin 12. 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Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Miriam Lord: People discarded jackets in the heat, but Princess Anne was clad in scarf and gloves
After 14 years in Áras An Uachtaráin , Michael D Higgins is well into the not-long-now phase of his presidency. Not everyone says it when they meet him, but it's what they are thinking. On Wednesday morning, as journalists gathered in the State Reception Room in advance of a courtesy call from the United Kingdom's Princess Anne , the impending arrival of a new tenant in the President of Ireland's official residence concentrated minds. Some were already feeling a bit nostalgic for the Michael D days. ' Not long to go now ,' they sighed, before joining the speculation over his successor. READ MORE His term of office ends officially in early November. And a date for the presidential election has yet to be announced, but the pre-race rumour mill is now running at full silly season tilt. Not long now. British media outlets were describing the visit as possibly Michael D's last engagement with a 'senior royal'. Princess Anne was in town to visit the Dublin Horse Show , so she took the opportunity to nip up to the Phoenix Park to pay her respects, like her mother did before her during that historic state visit in 2011. It was a very low-key affair, but statements released afterwards by the Áras and the British embassy underscored what ambassador Paul Johnston called 'the deep and enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and Ireland'. Although we may be a proud Republic, the royal family across the water has long been a rich source of gossipy fascination and diverse entertainment. And of that extended Windsor clan, Princess Anne (she turns 75 in a week and a half) seems to be viewed as a generally sound, no-nonsense, hard-working member of the firm. There was a lot of media interest in her visit. She was greeted on arrival by Orla O'Hanrahan, secretary general to the President, who escorted the Princess Royal to the door of the State reception room via the Francini Corridor, where Michael D and his wife Sabina were waiting, along with a small media pack corralled down the back. Anne barrelled in, smiling, her black leather shoulder bag tucked under her oxter. Following the example of other female royals when they visit the Emerald Isle, she wore a longline linen blazer and skirt in contrasting shades of green. Michael D pointed to the gold broach on her lapel. 'That's very appropriate,' he said. It was hard to see it from the back of the room. What was it? Maybe a little bottle of stout, what with Guinness's brewery only across the river. Or perhaps a deer eating a bag of crisps, as we were in the Phoenix Park. It was a horse. No surprise there. The weather was very muggy and people were discarding jackets and fanning themselves with their press handouts. But Princess Anne wore a light scarf around her neck and a pair of navy gloves. Swear to God. Gloves! That's roy-lity for you. There was some small talk about the weather with the princess remarking that it was a little warmer than the last time they met. 'A better time of year.' The last time she was on an official visit was in April 2019 when she toured several lighthouses in Dublin Bay. According to reports, she wore 'a navy coat with matching beanie'. In March last year, she watched the Ireland vs Scotland Six Nations rugby match along with President Higgins in a chilly Aviva Stadium. Back at the Áras, Michael D invited his guest to sign the visitors' book. It's very large. The princess removed a glove and then fished a pen out of her bag. Less is more? Princess Anne's signature on the visitors' book. 'She brings her own biros!' whispered an onlooker, thrilled. It certainly was not a biro. 'I don't want to waste the whole page,' said Anne. 'You deserve a whole page,' replied the kindly Sabina, who, incidentally, wore an elegant pale blue and white lace appliqué skirt with a crisp white blouse. Michael D was in the presidential three-piece, but not the trademark tweed one because he would have melted on to the carpet in front of a senior royal and we couldn't have that in front of the neighbours. Anne signed with a flourish and took some time doing it. After she left, we had a gander. Frankly, we were somewhat disappointed. There was no message at all. Not even something like: 'You have the place gorgeous' or 'Loving your work' or 'Missing you already'. 'Anne. 6th August 2025' is all she wrote. That's roy-ilty for you. Princess Anne during her visit to the Áras. The princess put her pen back in her bag, which she tucked back under her arm and then put the other glove back on. The President, his wife and the princess posed for photographs in front of the desk. The small talk was wonderful. And while Anne didn't actually say: 'Not long now', to the soon-to-depart Higginses, she did note that Michael D has been in office 'quite a long time'. 'Fourteen years,' he said, stoically. 'But not for much longer,' added Sabina. The extensive gardens outside the French windows looked stunning. They will miss them. Beautiful floral arrangements of big, blowsy dahlias brought the summer inside. 'Do you spend all your time here?' asked Anne, who has several extremely large homes within the family to go to. 'All the time,' said Michael D. 'All the time,' said Sabina. 'It's a nice spot,' replied Anne. They retired to the President's study for an official 'tete-a-tete' before being escorted to the drawingroom, where the two entourages held a brief meeting. 'It was a pleasure to renew my conversations with Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, and to recognise the significant contribution which she has made over so many years to the relationship between our two countries,' said the President afterwards. 'I was also pleased to recognise the contribution which The Princess Royal has made to equestrian sports over the years, as well as to related learning and therapy services. I further took the opportunity to extend my best wishes to His Majesty King Charles and to recall his unwavering support for peace and reconciliation.' There was no sign of Misneach, the President's dog, but as the 50-minute meeting inside the Áras continued, a very friendly black and white cat pootled across the courtyard before sidling in the front door and sashaying off in the direction of the Council of State Room. President Michael D Higgins poses for a photograph with the Princess Royal before she left Áras an Uachtaráin for the Dublin Horse Show. Photograph Nick Bradshaw Minutes later, a shout emerged from beneath the portico: 'How did you let this intruder in?' The large number of plain-clothes officers waiting outside looked up to see a senior detective assigned to the President striding forward with the housebreaking moggie in her arms. There is a definite feeling of things winding down in this particular presidency, although Micheal D is still packing in the public appearances. He will be at the All-Ireland camogie final at the weekend, marking his final appearance in Croke Park as President. The VIP guest was waved off by Michael D and Sabina. There was no pomp and ceremony. Anne walked briskly to her Range Rover and was whisked off to Ballsbridge and the Horse Show, where, among other things, she presented rosettes to the winners in Class 20 of the Small Hunters competition. As for Michael D, 14 years and not long to go now. It's a lifetime job for Princess Anne. She must be jealous. But that's roy-lity for you.
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
No Irish leader exerted as much global influence as Daniel O'Connell, commemoration hears
No Irish leader has exerted as much international influence as Daniel O'Connell with his Catholic emancipation campaign resulting in him being hailed a hero by all who believe in liberty, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said. Mr Martin said that the success of 'the Liberator' in campaigning for Catholic emancipation in 1829 led to people all over the world looking to Ireland for inspiration about how to bring together oppressed people to achieve dramatic breakthroughs. The Taoiseach was speaking at a State commemoration at O'Connell's ancestral home in Caherdaniel, Co Kerry, to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth. He said aside from being 'an inspiration to many Catholic communities who faced discrimination and repression around the world, he was also an icon for others, in particular Europe's Jewish community'. 'And of course he was a leader and a symbol of hope for those who were campaigning for the abolition of slavery wherever it was to be found,' said Mr Martin. He added that O'Connell and Ireland's story was followed closely by newspapers and journals worldwide. READ MORE Mr Martin said it would be wrong to think O'Connell cared only about Catholic emancipation as his focus was on oppression generally. ' He believed that members of all religions and in all countries should have the right to fully participate in the professional and political life of the state. 'He was not looking for supremacy, but for equality and respect. And to achieve it he built an organisation the like of which the world had never before seen. There had been many popular risings in world history, but there was no example of a mass democratic political movement before.' He said O'Connell brought all the fire and determination that had characterised his legal work to the cause of Catholic emancipation, and, as he grew older, he became much more personally and deeply committed to his faith. Taoiseach Micheál Martin officiated at the commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell. Photograph: Maurice Gunning Mr Martin said O'Connell does not simply represent a distant part of Irish history but his tireless campaigning seeking to unite the Irish people behind the shared values of solidarity and justice means he remains an inspiring beacon for Irish people today. The event, at the OPW-managed Derrynane House, was attended by 200 invited guests, including Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan, who also spoke of O'Connell's continuing relevance in the modern world. 'The world can be a turbulent place, and it can appear to be worsening. Daily we see breaches in civil rights, famine and wars. We can draw strength from our past. We can remember what we have already overcome, we can look to the example of O'Connell. [ Daniel O'Connell would have enjoyed his life being celebrated 250 years on, says historian Opens in new window ] 'And when we do, we can see what one man was capable of achieving through peaceful means, and how his success motivated so many others in the global pursuit of civil rights and democratic reform,' said Mr O'Donovan. Among the guests, which included many public representatives, were more than 20 of O'Connell's descendants including his great-great-great granddaughter, Emily Lenehan, who delivered a reflection on her illustrious ancestor on behalf of the O'Connell family. The ceremony concluded with Mr Martin unveiling a commemorative plaque to O'Connell carved from Valentia slate and the planting of an oak tree, for which he was joined by two of O'Connell's youngest descendants, Finlay (12) and Charlotte Davidson (six). [ TV aerial in Daniel O'Connell stamp is a 'visual signal' to the modern age, not AI, says An Post Opens in new window ]
