Unionist critics would be hard-pressed to find fault with ‘First Minister for all’ Michelle O’Neill so far

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/comment/unionist-critics-would-be-hard-pressed-to-find-fault-with-first-minister-for-all-michelle-oneill-so-far/a430928861.html

Michelle O’Neill has spent a long time talking about being a First Minister for all, and her words have been well and truly put into action at Windsor Park.

Down through the decades, nationalists of all shades have become adept at arriving late or leaving early to avoid the British national anthem at events.

The Sinn Fein vice-president didn’t try to duck this one, as she took her seat before the Northern Ireland women’s match against Montenegro began. She stood respectfully for the rendition of God Save The King, and clapped enthusiastically as it ended.

Like Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, she wore green for the game.
There is never anything half-hearted about O’Neill’s approach as she showed previously with that warm two-handed clasp when meeting King Charles.

Sinn Fein’s junior minister in The Executive Office, Aisling Reilly, was by the First Minister’s side at Windsor Park on Tuesday night.

Former DUP First Minister Arlene Foster and party colleague Christopher Stalford had stood for Amhrán na bhFiann when they watched Fermanagh play Donegal in the Ulster GAA football final at Clones six years ago.

Yet O’Neill and Reilly on their feet for God Save The King was surely imbued with even more symbolism.

Foster was in Co Monaghan, visiting what she would deem to be a foreign country. She would argue that she stood for its anthem, just as she would stand for La Marseillaise if attending an event in France.

Would a DUP leader stand for Amhrán na bhFiann in Northern Ireland? Doing so would be much more problematic for the party, as it would be seen as undermining the Union and a de facto recognition of Irish sovereignty.
Standing for God Save The King in Belfast — not in Birmingham nor Bradford — is a big step for Sinn Fein, which its republican critics will say equates to recognising British sovereignty in Northern Ireland.

But the party is on very confident ground when making such bridge-building gestures these days.

It has engaged in so many firsts — attending a royal funeral and coronation, along with a police graduation ceremony — without any significant blowback from its own grassroots.
Sinn Fein has shown leadership, and successfully brought its community along too.

Arlene Foster was applauded and cheered as she arrived at Clones in June 2018.
“I do realise that there might be some people uncomfortable with me being here. But let me say this – I am a leader of a political party that wants to have a shared society in Northern Ireland,” she said.

“To do that you have to take steps forward and to do that we have to build respect and tolerance, and that’s what I want to do.”
Michelle O’Neill sat behind Foster at Clones that afternoon. She reached forward to shake hands with her and said she hoped it would be the first of many gestures to create “a society underpinned by inclusion”.

O’Neill became First Minister just three weeks ago. Sinn Fein isn’t short of unionist critics, but they’d be hard-pressed to find fault with her so far.

by Ah_here_like