The choreography becomes clearer. Peter Hain reckons that power over policing will have the capacity to be devolved by September. This, he points out, should give Sinn Fein the time to ‘jump’, and allow the rest of the return to executive government follow.
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World by Storm has a nice piece up on the IRA’s role in helping MK, the armed wing of the ANC, in the 1980s. In particular he sees a strange alchemy at work there: …if one can think of a clearly legitimate contemporary struggle it was that against apartheid and it is to the credit [...] read our review »
The truth is out.
Even before she came to power Maggie Thatcher knew the UDR was inextricably linked to loyalist death squads.
When we remember how Unionists defended this Black and Tan like outfit it renders hollow their claims not to have paramilitary links. Ken McGuinness was in the UDR. Can he credibly claim to have been unaware of this? They had to know.
And on the topic..
There was more said at the press conference than the Irish Independent notes, Mick – see here
On policing, as I recall, that can only be devolved after all parties agree that it should be, in the Assembly, followed by further discussion on the legislation on how a Ministry for Policing and Justice is to be operated, followed by the passing of that further legislation.
Of course, Hain’s probably only talking about the current Bill going through the Commons.. which is the vague Miscellaneous Provisions Bill that merely grants him the ability to devolve power on Policing and Justice after the previously mentioned decisions are taken.