Ian Paisley: 'Sinn Fein's charm-offensive in the USA is doomed to fail - just like past efforts'

The North Antrim MP was commenting as Michelle O'Neill jets off to Washington DC to put across the Sinn Fein position on the DUP's ongoing Stormont boycott.

In advance of her departure, she had issued a statement condemning the stand-off over the Irish Sea border.

“The British government’s response to this boycott of our political institutions is lax, complacent, and irresponsible," she had said.

“We will be urging the US administration to impress on the British Prime Minister during his visit to Washington this week to start working with their partners in the Irish government to prioritise restoration and the full implementation of the agreement without any more delay."

There had been similar moves around St Patrick's Day to lobby American figures over the ongoing Protocol / Windsor Framework stalemate, and Mr Paisley said he will be in the USA himself at least twice this summer, meeting with "US officials and US businesspeople".

"The old tactic of 'the Micks pushing the Yanks to push the Brits into a united Ireland' has failed for 40 years," he told the News Letter today.

"And a Michelle O'Neill charm offensive will have a similar outcome."

His comments above echo a phrase previously used in the Province.

In 1998 the Irish Times reported that Mr Paisley (then DUP justice spokesman) had said in a 46-page pamphlet entitled 'Peace Deal?': "There is a common saying in Northern Ireland that 'the Micks are pushing the Yanks, to push the Brits, to push the Unionists into a United Ireland'…

"The talks process and its dangerous conclusion amount to nothing more than the concentrated efforts of the British and Irish governments, aided by Washington, to pressurise David Trimble into acquiescing in a programme of all-Ireland unity."

Continuing his point today, Mr Paisley added: "They flew a president of the United States over to Northern Ireland to put pressure on the DUP a matter of weeks ago, and the electorate stood with the DUP.

"This is about the people of Northern Ireland sorting out their problems and about the United Kingdom government doing its duty with regards to our sovereignty.

"And the sooner people get their heads around that and stop wasting time on self-promotion, the better."

As for Ms O'Neill's condemnation of the DUP boycott as "irresponsible", he said: "Well, given that she boycotted the Assembly for three years, I'd hate to see what definition she'd put on her activities during that period of time."

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