Andy Burnham has caused Sinn Féin difficulties.

The British prime minister’s remark last week that a Border poll is “off the table” has been seized on by some dissident republicans as proof that the Belfast Agreement cannot deliver a united Ireland and that Sinn Féin has been naive or complicit in a peace process surrender.

Sinn Féin has never enjoyed that accusation, naturally, but nor has it ever stinted at dismissing dissidents. The party will be far more concerned by rumblings from its own base. This has been evident in social media comments from supporters and members, demanding Sinn Féin take a more assertive stance towards Burnham, unionism and advancing the republican cause. A common theme emerging from these remarks is that Sinn Féin should withdraw from Stormont, or not return after next May’s election, unless London provides clarity on a Border poll – the precise conditions for triggering a vote, for example, or a timescale, or a commitment to preparations.

Sinn Féin does not want to walk out of Stormont, yet this is a notion it has just planted in its supporters’ heads. Following a poor opinion poll result in late July, the party blamed the DUP for obstructing its policies and dropped unsubtle hints about the stability of devolution. This was only intended as a distraction from Sinn Féin’s failures in office but it took on a life of its own as other parties........

© The Irish Times