Sinn Fein is poised to become the 1st Irish nationalist party to lead the government

Sinn Fein is poised¹ to become the 1st Irish nationalist party to lead the government

Transcript²

The votes are still being counted but if the party wins, it would mark a major milestone³ that could pave the way for Northern Ireland to leave the U.K. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to reporter Willem Marx.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In Northern Ireland, the Sinn Fein party is seeking an historic election victory. Vote totals are still coming in, but a win would make it the first Irish Nationalist Party to lead the government. And that could pave the way for Northern Ireland to leave the U.K. Following the election for us is London-based reporter Willem Marx. Thanks for being here.

WILLEM MARX: Thanks for having me, Leila.

FADEL: So what reactions are you hearing this morning and what could this mean politically in Northern Ireland and the U.K.?

MARX: Well, the vote certification happened about 3 hours ago in Belfast and across Northern Ireland. That's now finished.

FADEL: OK.

MARX: The actual count is underway for the next few hours. So really, there's not actually been any major public statements from politicians here in the U.K. while they wait for more clarity on those results. But it's clear from what we do know that turnout has been relatively⁴ high, around 54%, and that's after a slightly unsettled few months in Northern Ireland's own politics.

The carefully constructed power sharing government collapsed⁵ when one of the major parties withdrew in February. And if Sinn Fein were to emerge from this election with a majority in the local legislature known as the Northern Ireland Assembly, it would be hard for the local executive power sharing to be reestablished. And without that executive in place, theoretically it would be U.K. authorities in Westminster, in London who could take charge of day-to-day governing.

But that would be both an unpopular move amongst people in Northern Ireland and also something that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been pretty unwilling⁶ to do.

FADEL: Now, Sinn Fein was long linked to the IRA. Can you talk about how it built this popular support?

MARX: Well, partly, it's focusing on what you term bread and butter issues, but it's also partly a consequence in Northern Ireland of birthrates and changing demographics for the past couple of decades. Parties in favor of Northern Ireland remaining inside the rest of the U.K., known as unionists or loyalists, have held a majority in the Northern Ireland executive because their supporters, largely Protestants, were a bigger proportion of the population.

But that's changing. And that means that the largely Catholic segment of the population that supports Sinn Fein has continued to expand. And it's also worth noting the leading Unionist Party, the Democratic Unionist Party, has taken a very unpopular decision over issues around Brexit. That's helped to erode⁷ its own popular support a little, as well.

FADEL: Now, could this actually lead to the island of Ireland becoming one country?

MARX: Well, under the peace deal known as the Good Friday Agreement signed back in 1998, a referendum would need to be held among residents of Northern Ireland with another separate one held next door to the South in the Republic of Ireland. That would likely require Sinn Fein to control the levers of government both North and South of that border. And they're not yet a party in government to the South in the Republic of Ireland.

If a majority of people in both said they would like to see Ireland reunited, it's not beyond the realms of possibility one day. And in fact, the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland told voters ahead of these elections they think a Sinn Fein win would actually accelerate that process, Leila.

FADEL: So I'm sure we'll be speaking to you more as we know more about the results. Willem Marx covering the elections in Northern Ireland. He spoke⁸ to us from London. Thank you so much.

MARX: Thank you.

1 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

7 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。