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10 minutes ago Hayley Halpin BBC News NI PA Media Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly says First Minister Michelle O'Neill is at the meeting "absolutely in a Sinn Féin capacity" In Northern Ireland, the first and deputy first minister have identical powers and responsibilities. Little-Pengelly criticised O'Neill for attending Monday's talks. "She has not sought any agreement or permission from me to travel, attend or sign anything as first minister.
She would have needed to do so to do anything as FM," the deputy first minister said. For the first time since devolution began, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have first ministers who want to leave the United Kingdom. On Sunday, O'Neill confirmed she was meeting SNP leader John Swinney and Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth in Cardiff on Monday.
"We're coming together because we all want to break free of the shackles of Westminster," she said in a video posted on social media. "We're coming together at a moment of hope and opportunity for all our people. What we want is self-determination.
What we want is to be able to decide our own future, and to bring that into the hands of our people" she said. "So these are big moments of change, big moments of hope, and there's a lot to do together." PA Media Michelle O'Neill said the first ministers are "coming together at a moment of hope" 'Not on behalf of Northern Ireland' Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme , Little-Pengelly said "we need to be very clear" that O'Neill is "meeting in her political role as a member of Sinn Féin, as the leader of Sinn Féin of the north, as she would described it herself, not on behalf of Northern Ireland, she's not signing anything on behalf of Northern Ireland". "I looked very carefully at what was briefed out, what was reported, it was being reported out as if this was a summit of first ministers," Little-Pengelly said.
"It is not a summit of first ministers. She may be first minister, which is of course a joint role along with myself, but she is there absolutely in a Sinn Féin capacity." Little-Pengelly accused O'Neill of "trying to use the fact that she is also first minister in order to give momentum to the breakup of the union, in order to give momentum to this concept of abolishing Northern Ireland". "For my part, I will get on with trying to make Northern Ireland work, I will get on with being here, I will be at the assembly today, I will be working hard on all of those issues that I know matter to people in terms of bread and butter issues here," she said.
Earlier in the programme, Sinn Féin MLA and Minister for Finance John O'Dowd said that "political unionism have always used their roles to promote the union". "Michelle is there as deputy leader of Sinn Féin, she is joined on that trip with Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, and she's meeting the leader of the SNP and Plaid Cymru in their capacities as leaders of their parties," O'Dowd said. He added it is "quite clear that across these islands there's a growing demand for self determination, whether that's in Wales, Scotland or here".
"It's only right and proper, I think, that those parties who are in favour of greater self determination cooperate and work with each other to achieve that goal," O'Dowd said.
Source: BBC
