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| Northern Ireland secretary says power-sharing deal still possible | Northern Ireland secretary says power-sharing deal still possible |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Karen Bradley pledges to ‘do all I can’ to get talks between DUP and Sinn Féin back on track | Karen Bradley pledges to ‘do all I can’ to get talks between DUP and Sinn Féin back on track |
| Henry McDonald Ireland correspondent | Henry McDonald Ireland correspondent |
| Fri 16 Feb 2018 14.13 GMT | Fri 16 Feb 2018 14.13 GMT |
| Last modified on Fri 16 Feb 2018 16.16 GMT | |
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| The UK government still believes a deal can be done between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist party aimed at restoring power-sharing to Stormont, the Northern Ireland secretary has said. | The UK government still believes a deal can be done between Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist party aimed at restoring power-sharing to Stormont, the Northern Ireland secretary has said. |
| Karen Bradley insisted she and her colleagues in the Irish government wanted to get the talks between the two main parties represented in the deadlocked Northern Ireland assembly back on track. | Karen Bradley insisted she and her colleagues in the Irish government wanted to get the talks between the two main parties represented in the deadlocked Northern Ireland assembly back on track. |
| Bradley defended the prime minister’s intervention in the ill-fated talks after criticism that her visit to Northern Ireland had proved a distraction. She insisted it was right that Theresa May had visited on Monday, and appeared to suggest her tour of the Bombardier aircraft factory in Belfast, before meeting the politicians at Stormont, was the main purpose of her visit. | |
| “The prime minister is the prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is absolutely right that she should come and visit Northern Ireland,” Bradley said. “Quite rightly she came to visit a great business in Northern Ireland, a big employer, a business that we want to see thrive and grow and really dedicate itself to Northern Ireland, and that’s what the prime minister was here to do.” | |
| On Wednesday, the talks came to an abrupt halt after the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, announced her party could not accept a package that included a standalone Irish language act. | On Wednesday, the talks came to an abrupt halt after the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, announced her party could not accept a package that included a standalone Irish language act. |
| Sinn Féin later claimed the DUP had in fact signed up last weekend to a compromise deal that included an Irish language act in parallel with other legislation aimed at protecting unionist cultural rights in the region. | Sinn Féin later claimed the DUP had in fact signed up last weekend to a compromise deal that included an Irish language act in parallel with other legislation aimed at protecting unionist cultural rights in the region. |
| Any deal to restore a cross-community power-sharing government in Northern Ireland will be made or broken on the issue of language. | Any deal to restore a cross-community power-sharing government in Northern Ireland will be made or broken on the issue of language. |
| One of Sinn Féin's core demands has been the creation of an Irish language act to give Gaelic the same legal status as English. | One of Sinn Féin's core demands has been the creation of an Irish language act to give Gaelic the same legal status as English. |
| Unionists, and in particular the Democratic Unionist party, have resisted this, arguing that it would not only be too costly but would lead to daily culture wars over language on street signs and the way court cases are conducted, and would also "hollow out" British identity in the region. | Unionists, and in particular the Democratic Unionist party, have resisted this, arguing that it would not only be too costly but would lead to daily culture wars over language on street signs and the way court cases are conducted, and would also "hollow out" British identity in the region. |
| One way around this is to create a parallel act that would give special status to Ulster Scots and "Orange" culture, which the DUP could claim as its own victory from the talks. | One way around this is to create a parallel act that would give special status to Ulster Scots and "Orange" culture, which the DUP could claim as its own victory from the talks. |
| Here are some core facts about language and cultural identity issues that have affected the negotiations: | Here are some core facts about language and cultural identity issues that have affected the negotiations: |
| • In the 2011 census, 179,000 people – or 11% of the population of the region – claimed some knowledge of Irish. But when it came to Irish as their main language, this fell to 4,045. However, Gaelic language activists point out that more than 6,000 children are now studying at Irish-first schools and the sector is growing. | • In the 2011 census, 179,000 people – or 11% of the population of the region – claimed some knowledge of Irish. But when it came to Irish as their main language, this fell to 4,045. However, Gaelic language activists point out that more than 6,000 children are now studying at Irish-first schools and the sector is growing. |
| • From the same census figures, more than 140,000 people say they speak Ulster Scots; the majority of them, though, are not exclusively from the unionist or Protestant population. However, the definition of Ulster Scots itself is contentious as many experts dispute that it is a language in its own right, instead calling it a distinct dialect. | • From the same census figures, more than 140,000 people say they speak Ulster Scots; the majority of them, though, are not exclusively from the unionist or Protestant population. However, the definition of Ulster Scots itself is contentious as many experts dispute that it is a language in its own right, instead calling it a distinct dialect. |
| • A separate culture act could also be contentious if it were to guarantee the right of Orange parades to march on Northern Irish streets given the territorial disputes connected to loyalist demonstrations in some areas in the 1990s and early 2000s. | • A separate culture act could also be contentious if it were to guarantee the right of Orange parades to march on Northern Irish streets given the territorial disputes connected to loyalist demonstrations in some areas in the 1990s and early 2000s. |
| Speaking on Friday morning at Victoria Square shopping centre in central Belfast, Bradley tried to sound optimistic about a fresh round of negotiations. | Speaking on Friday morning at Victoria Square shopping centre in central Belfast, Bradley tried to sound optimistic about a fresh round of negotiations. |
| “I will do all I can to get devolved government back into Stormont because I genuinely believe that that is the best thing for the people of Northern Ireland,” she said. | “I will do all I can to get devolved government back into Stormont because I genuinely believe that that is the best thing for the people of Northern Ireland,” she said. |
| Bradley dodged questions about Sinn Féin’s claim that an agreement had been struck, saying she could not comment as she was not involved in the talks. | Bradley dodged questions about Sinn Féin’s claim that an agreement had been struck, saying she could not comment as she was not involved in the talks. |
| She is due to update MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday on the government’s plans to revive the negotiations. | She is due to update MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday on the government’s plans to revive the negotiations. |
| Northern Irish politics | Northern Irish politics |
| Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland |
| Sinn Féin | Sinn Féin |
| Democratic Unionist party (DUP) | Democratic Unionist party (DUP) |
| Karen Bradley | Karen Bradley |
| news | news |
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