NI Politics: Stormont centenary stone gets green light

A stone marking Northern Ireland's centenary has been given the green light by Stormont's assembly commission, BBC News NI understands.

A previous request made by unionist parties in 2021 was vetoed by Sinn Féin. 

At that time it opposed the stone, arguing that it only reflected one political perspective.

It has now emerged that a fresh request for the commemorative stone got approval from the commission on Monday.

Sinn Féin no longer has a representative on the assembly commission, which is typically made up of MLAs from the five largest Stormont parties.

John O'Dowd had been Sinn Féin's member before he became interim infrastructure minister last May.

Sinn Féin was then unable to nominate a replacement MLA as a member, as the power-sharing institutions were not functioning.

It is understood the assembly commission met earlier this week and agreed in principle to a joint request from the leaders of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) in relation to the stone.

The initial bid from those parties had committed to paying directly for the stone, not from public funds, and that is still deemed to be the case.

Decisions taken by the commission require agreement from all of its members.

A spokesperson for the assembly commission said there had been "consensus among the four assembly commission members who currently hold office to agree to the proposal" to site a centenary stone at the west side of Parliament Buildings.

"The assembly commission is a statutory body with responsibility for the grounds adjacent to Parliament Buildings," they added.

"Therefore, officials will now be working through the process required to give effect to the decision."

For unionists, getting the green light for a centenary stone at Stormont is about rectifying a wrong.

But others will see this as a classic case of political opportunism.

Removing John O'Dowd from the assembly commission without a pathway to replace him left Sinn Féin exposed.

Unionists seized the moment knowing the Social Democratic and Labour Party was unlikely to block them.

But while Sinn Féin remain opposed to a stone it said celebrates the partition of Ireland the party's fingerprints are not on the decision to approve it.

Symbols continue to matter in Northern Ireland, not least at Stormont and this one is still likely to provoke a reaction.

In a joint statement, the leaders of the DUP, UUP and TUV said "great hurt" was caused to the unionist community when the stone was blocked in 2021.

"The stone which will be in the shape of a map of Northern Ireland, mounted on a Portland stone plinth, will be sited on a raised area to the west of Parliament Buildings," the added.

"The stone will be paid for by unionist MLAs and therefore will not cost the public purse."

On Wednesday, Sinn Féin said it had "opposed a stone to celebrate partition" when it had been raised previously.

The party added it was "bizarre" that the unionist parties would focus on the stone "while the assembly is being blocked from doing business on the real issues which are affecting the lives of all our people".

Matthew O'Toole of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, whose party supported the plan, said the stone should not be a priority at a time when there is a cost of living crisis.

However, he added: "Nationalists who want to build a new society on this island, we need to show at every turn that we're serious about celebrating the diversity of this island, to show unionists that that tradition is going to be not just tolerated, but celebrated in a new Ireland."