Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern have made an impassioned plea to the Democratic Unionist party to revive power sharing in Northern Ireland and help end the period of political instability, saying the “people on this island need them”.
The former British and Irish prime ministers told a conference in Belfast on Monday that the region’s leaders had a responsibility to break a political deadlock and safeguard peace.
Speaking on a panel shared with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ahern urged the DUP to “stay the road with us” in shoring up the Good Friday agreement. The former taoiseach said Northern Ireland must overcome the DUP’s focus on a “small detail” – a reference to post-Brexit arrangements – in order to focus on major issues.
Blair, in a thinly veiled reference to the DUP, implored the region’s leaders to restore the Stormont assembly and executive, which have been mothballed by a DUP boycott. “You know in your heart of hearts what the right thing to do is and you should just get on and do it,” he said.
The appeals added to pressure on Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s party to end a political vacuum that has destabilised Northern Ireland and overshadowed the 25th anniversary of the 1998 Good Friday agreement.
It was the first day of a three-day conference on the future of Northern Ireland. Hosted by Queen’s University Belfast, it has drawn architects of the peace deal. Rishi Sunak, the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen and senior White House representatives are to follow on Wednesday. Invitations had also been sent to all seven living former UK prime ministers: Liz Truss; Boris Johnson; Theresa May; David Cameron; Gordon Brown; Blair; and John Major.
On a visit to Belfast last week, Joe Biden offered a $6bn (£5bn) carrot of US investment if power sharing is restored but he avoided singling out the DUP. Analysts say the party is unlikely to make any move towards reviving Stormont until after local elections next month.
Ahern, one of the few Irish leaders past or present with credibility among unionists, said the impasse must end. “You can’t wait around for ever. You can’t have elections to institutions a year ago and then nothing happens,” he said.
Referencing the DUP, he said: “The people of Northern Ireland need them, the people on this island need them.”
George Mitchell, a former US senator who chaired the peace talks 25 years ago, urged politicians to emulate the “courage and wisdom” of their predecessors. “It is not a sign of weakness to resolve your differences by democratic and peaceful means,” he said. “To the contrary, it is a sign of strength and of wisdom, and it clearly reflects the will of the overwhelming majority of the people of Northern Ireland.”
Peace, he said, must not be allowed to “slip away”.
Hillary Clinton, in her role as chancellor of Queen’s, chaired the talk with Ahern, Blair and her husband, the former US president. The three men paid tribute to each other as well as to John Hume, David Trimble and other Northern Ireland politicians who helped clinch the deal.
Blair lauded Ahern’s ability to weather abuse. “People would come and be really rude to him,” he said. “I got offended on his behalf, but he was never really offended.”
Bill Clinton paid his own compliment to the former taoiseach, joking: “Bertie had the kind of BS that I always wished I had. I wanna be Bertie when I grow up.”
