Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill not feeling positive after Hillsborough talks with Secretary of State

Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill has said she does not feel “very positive” after meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary.

The main local parties are meeting with Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough in a continued attempt to restore the Stormont Executive.

She said: “It’s one year since the Windsor Framework was done. It’s two years since the DUP decided to boycott the assembly and our politics remains stagnant.

“We just discussed with the Secretary of State what he intends to do later this week, certainly whenever we reach the deadline of Thursday January 18, which he originally set to have an Executive restored.

“I can’t say we feel very positive by what we have heard today, but the secretary of state will have to speak to that himself.

“I think it’s fair to say that there wasn’t anything that gives us any chink of light.

“That being said, we still think that there is an opportunity for the DUP to step up to the plate, there is an opportunity for them to end their boycott and there is an opportunity for the DUP to join the rest of us and form an executive.

“I hope to take the next number of days to reflect on that, particularly as I think 170,000 workers will take to the streets on Thursday because they’re being forced to, because of the DUP’s inaction and because of the fact that this British government have refused to pay proper funding for our public services.”

She said she shared the frustration of members of the public and repeated her calls for the DUP to restore power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland by Thursday’s deadline when a fresh election is legally required to be called unless new legislation is introduced.

The Sinn Féin vice president said Northern Ireland Secretary had indicated during their Monday meeting that he would introduce new legislation if there is no restored executive this week.

“The DUP and their inaction and their failure to return to Stormont and join with the rest of us, and actually provide that leadership that people need, (means) that these workers are all being punished, and we think that’s not good enough,” she said at Hillsborough.

“That’s why we wanted to drive home that message with the Secretary of State today. But, clearly, he has decisions to make as to what comes next.

“If we get to Thursday and there still is no restored executive, then there has to be new legislation, and he’s indicated today, that’s what he will do.”

Ms O’Neill added an increase in pay for public sector workers should be separated from the Stormont stalemate.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was met by chants of “fair pay for teachers” as he arrived at the talks on Monday.

“Let me be crystal clear: he (Heaton-Harris) should absolutely divorce pay (for) the public sector workers from the ongoing political stalemate,” Ms O'Neill said.

“The DUP’s actions and inactions to restore the executive are punishing the public.

“We find ourselves in a scenario where the politics is stagnant and the money that’s there to pay public sector workers is hanging in the balance. So, we made sure that he was pretty clear of our view, which is that that money should be paid and he should absolutely divorce the two things.

“He’d have to speak for himself in terms of what he intends to do and I think that will become clear over the course of the coming days, but we won’t give up in terms of pressing the case for the money to be paid.”

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