The success of Sinn Féin in the Irish general election has raised the question of Irish re-unification.

Political spin

The post-election use of results in order to reinterpret the campaign is a feature of political spin that needs to be identified and called out for what it is.

Let me illustrate it with the SNP and the 2019 UK General Election. Ten minutes to 10 p.m. on 12 Dec 2019, the SNP told voters to ‘Vote SNP to stop Brexit’.

Ten minutes after 10 p.m., when the exit poll suggested an SNP landslide, the SNP changed its message to “Scotland has voted for Independence”. This was the message of Ian Bradford MP in his victory speech, the leader of the SNP group at Westminster, following a similar message by Drew Hendry’s victory in the neighbouring constituency in the Scottish Highlands.

They justified this changed message by pointing to the failed Scottish Tory campaign message of ‘Stop IndyRef2’. However, everyone knows that the Election was about Brexit and the result of the election showed that a majority of Scottish voters voted for parties opposed to Scottish separation from the UK. Such is the nature of political spin.

The lies so prevalent in public and political debate requires a Christian Voice.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin fought the Irish election primarily on the housing shortage in Ireland, but now that it has done so well in the polls the Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald, is emphasing its promise for an Irish unity poll within 5 years, and McDonald in the post-election discussion has already said that the UK and Northern Ireland must prepare for constitutional change.

Meanwhile a Belfast Telegraph columnist has played the Nazi card.

Northern Ireland
On the same day, Boris Johnson is considering a bridge from Scotland to Northern Ireland to level up the two economies. He indicated his support for this idea in a recent meeting with the public. He has shown himself open to grandiose ideas, but what if the UK pays for a bridge that facilitates Scotland separating from England and joining a re-united Ireland as members of the EU, surrounding England with EU member-states?

Update:

13 Feb 2020: BBC Question Time: “Is a bridge to Ireland a bridge too far?” The SNP Joanna Cherry MP rejoiced in the thought that re-united Ireland, united by a bridge with independent Scotland in the EU would allow Irish goods to go to Europe through Scotland and expand Leith and east Scotland ports. So, “is it a bridge too far?” Yes, in unstable times. Meanwhile, the SNP should get on with improving infrastructure within Scotland and build a bridge over the stormy Minch to the Outer Hebrides. If Ireland re-unites, that is soon enough for a re-united Ireland to pay for a joint venture, including clearing up the munitions dump of more than a million tons of weapons from WWII dumped in Beaufort’s Dyke. And why was there no question about former SNP Derek Mackay? Why did Question Time in Dundee not have a Scottish Tory MSP or MP on the panel, or better still, why not ask a question about it?

14 Feb 2020: Nigel Farage’s summary on Boris’ bridge.