'˜Eurosceptic Sinn Féin like Saul on road to real goal of United Ireland'

A Londonderry DUP Councillor, David Ramsey, has asked: whatever happened to Sinn Féin's erstwhile Euroscepticism given the republican party's demand that Northern Ireland's overall majority vote to '˜Remain' in the European Union should receive some sort of special consideration in what was a United Kingdom-wide referendum?

Mr Ramsey referred to how Sinn Féin campaigned for decades against the further integration and expansion of the European Union and how it takes its seats among the Eurosceptic communists and socialists of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left in Brussels and Strasbourg.

He said: “When looking at the history of Sinn Féin’s attitude towards the European Union prior to the UK Referendum held in June 2016 it has been dominated by Euroscepticism.

“Ever since the Republic of Ireland followed the UK into the EU, Sinn Féin have opposed every step of deepening integration between Dublin and Brussels, arguing (believe it or not) that it dilutes the sovereignty of the Irish nation, and that it is nothing more than a right-wing sham.”

Mr Ramsey claimed the party is not particularly concerned about whether Northern Ireland remains in the EU or not but is using the Brexit result tactically towards its real goal of realising a United Ireland.

“It was a political strategy so devious and cunning. Shortly after the results, both national and regional, were announced, the cry for a Border poll could be heard coming from the depths of Irish Nationalism.

“Sinn Féin did not have the interests of the people of Northern Ireland at the centre of their policy. They don’t care about the people that live here. They still strive for the goal of a united Ireland and that is what moved them to back the Vote Remain campaign. When their cry for a Border poll was rebuked by both the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and indeed the Prime Minister, up surfaced the potential for another political crisis.”