File n4: Northern Ireland

• Michelle O'Neill


  Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, representing Sinn Féin, a nationalist party
• Emma Little Pengelly


  Politician from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
• O'Neill's nomination marks a "historic moment for a once unionist state" because she is a member of Sinn Féin, a party that historically advocated for Irish reunification and was once marginalized within Northern Ireland's predominantly unionist political landscape
• Stormont

  Seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland
• The building was built with six floors and six pillars to represent the six counties of Northern Ireland. This design was intended to symbolize the unity of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom
• "A state designed in 1921 to enshrine a permanent unionist majority" refers to the establishment of Northern Ireland as a separate entity within the United Kingdom in 1921, following the partition of Ireland. The state was designed to ensure a majority of unionists (those who wished to remain part of the UK) through mechanisms such as gerrymandering and discrimination against nationalists (those who sought Irish reunification)
• Chris Heaton-Harris


  British Conservative Party politician who served as the Minister of State at the Department for Transport at the time of the text
• Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV)


  Differs from other unionist parties in Northern Ireland in its staunch opposition to any compromise with nationalist or republican groups, particularly regarding power-sharing arrangements or any perceived concessions to Irish nationalism. The TUV rejects the Good Friday Agreement and advocates for a more hardline approach to unionism