POLITICAL representatives from across Belfast have welcomed a poll from LuicdTalk which found 59 per cent of people favour giving Dublin a role in governing the North if the Assembly is not restored.

Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan said that the poll is to be welcomed, but cautioned the Dublin government not to use the people of the North as political footballs.

"It is clear that there is an increasing number of people who believe that there is a need for greater involvement of the Dublin government in the affairs of the North, particularly in the context of the Assembly not sitting and an Executive not being formed," he said.

"Over the last number of years there has been a belief that there needs to be greater involvement from Dublin and that is something that we would support.

"However, there is a responsibility from the Dublin government as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement that they are proactive around this and not just sitting on their hands.

"We are always concerned about Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as they see Sinn Féin as a major threat to the monopoly that they have had on the 26 Counties for the last 100 years.

"Clearly, we don't want those parties to use the North as some sort of political football and that they come to this issue with integrity. 

"Varadkar said that the people of the North were never going to be left behind again and it is important that they bring integrity to any situation where Dublin is going to have some say in the affairs of the North and that there is some working in partnership with the British government in the interests of the people here and not for narrow party political interests."

SDLP Councillor, Brian Heading also welcomed the poll and said that if unionism cannot work the Good Friday Agreement then that mustn't hold up other parties from holding up peace and prosperity on the island of Ireland.

"If there needs to be an examination or consideration of other ways for the Irish government to shape and influence policy in the North, then there is a duty on those of us who support the Good Friday Agreement to pursue that avenue.

"It is about time that the head in the sand politics from unionism is dealt with," he said.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has said that joint authority will not deliver for the North.

“The Tories and their right-wing allies in Dublin won’t deliver for people in the North,” he said.

“Westminster and Dáil Éireann have presided over widespread misery, running down public services and giving handouts to the rich. They are governments of the wealthy and for the wealthy and they have failed to tackle he cost-of-living crisis in their own jurisdictions."