THE new President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald has thrown her weight behind Nicola Sturgeon’s demand for Scotland’s voice to be heard in the Brexit process.
She is the latest Irish politician to give her support to the First Minister who wants a differentiated EU deal allowing Scotland to remain in the European single market. The request has been rejected by the UK Government.
McDonald’s comments follow reports British and European officials are drawing up a plan to in effect keep Northern Ireland in the customs union and the single market after Brexit in order to avoid a hard border. The First Minister has said if Northern Ireland stays in the single market, the case for Scotland remaining in it becomes “a practical necessity”.
READ MORE: Stormont talks fall apart as Westminster prepares to take over decision-making
Speaking to the Alex Salmond Show, McDonald hit out at May for “ignoring the devolved” nations and appealed for her to listen to “what Scotland understands to be in her best interests”.
She told the programme, which is shown tonight on the RT channel: “The evidence so far is ... that Number 10 cares very little for what any of the devolved administrations think on any of these matters and I think it would be a good day’s work for a little bit of humility to enter into the equation ... to allow these voices and perspectives in and to listen and to hear when Scotland tells of what Scotland understands to be in her best interests, what Scotland needs to survive, to thrive and to advance and likewise for the Welsh. I think it would be wiser for the British system to listen to that.”
McDonald, who took over from Gerry Adams as Sinn Fein President last Saturday, also said there was no appetite in the Republican movement to return to the violence, but also warned that Brexit was “incompatible” with the Good Friday Agreement, which set out the framework for the peace process.
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