Stormont’s First Minister Arlene Foster, whose Democratic Unionist party shares power with Sinn Fein on the Northern Ireland Assembly, said: “The call for a border poll was as predictable as the flowers in May”.
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Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was quick to emphasize that the Scottish people see their future as part of the EU.
After the 2014 Scottish referendum, Sturgeon herself is wary of pressing independence claims until being sure of having a solid majority for them.
Gibraltar voted in favour of Britain remaining in the EU.
Meanwhile deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said the British Government must now allow people here the chance to have their say on their own future.
Meanwhile, nationalist leaders in Northern Ireland have strengthened calls for the nation to leave the U.K. and unite with their southern neighbor, the Republic of Ireland. They argue that a British withdrawal from the European Union would force authorities in both parts of Ireland to renew customs and security controls on what would become the U.K.’s only land border with an European Union state, the Republic of Ireland. Kenny emerged saying his government’s top priority was to minimize damage to Ireland’s exports-driven economy, not to open old wounds in Northern Ireland.
In a speech, Kenny said he was “very sorry” at the decision but respected the will of the British people.
The decision has already led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. The last thing we need now is more division and uncertainty.
Of most concern to Dublin is the impact on Northern Ireland, which has the only land frontier between the United Kingdom and the rest of the EU.
Kenny and Britain’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, agreed that Northern Ireland’s US -brokered 1998 peace accord contained a provision for staging an all-Ireland vote on reunification in event of popular demand.
The result justified Sinn Fein’s renewed calls for a border poll, he said.
Sinn Fein usually is an European Union critic, but this time it backed the “remain” campaign because of the risk that Ireland’s almost invisible border could become a daily economic, social and security obstacle again.
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The association highlighted the fact that Ireland was the only country with land bordering the United Kingdom, and said responsibility lies with the Irish government to continue the free movement of goods between the countries that have been in place “for nearly 100 years”.
