This week in Northern Ireland we kicked off the EU Referendum debate with a flurry of activity, surveys and posturing from the main business organisations and business leaders on whether being ‘in’ or ‘out’ is in the best interest of the people.
As I write, the DUP seems to be the only political party in Northern Ireland that is backing the ‘out’ campaign. Many of the business organisations and most recently the Ulster Farmers Union has said that they are looking to secure an ‘in’ vote. A local debate organised by the CBI in Belfast early this week also questioned the validity of the UK government in being able to cut better deals outside of the EU. It concluded that it would be a little immature to think that we’d be able to negotiate better all round. ‘What happens to NI beef producers if the UK Government decides to strike a deal on cheap Brazilian beef imports?’, was one out of five hundred questions posed at the session.
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In the next few days we are expecting to see not only the Prime Minister David Cameron coming to Northern Ireland for a photocall and a few handshakes, but also London Mayor and heir apparent Boris Johnson. Nigel Farage is also on his way to go head to head with shadow secretary of state Vernon Coaker at a debate at Ulster University next Tuesday.
All eyes are to the south part of the island today though as the good citizens of the Republic of Ireland go to the polls in the General Election. The electoral progress of Sinn Fein will be one to watch as there is a slim possibility that a good showing could potentially see them as a junior coalition partner. There are other dynamics at play but I highlight this due to the fact that they could be the largest party in Northern Ireland when our own election takes place on 5 May.