“he’s not exactly a safe pair of hands..”
The new cut-price Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, will be appearing on Sunday’s Politics Show for what’s being billed as his first major interview.. but while we wait to see how he feels about being, at best, Gordon’s second choice for the job, over at Comment is Free Mick has put together some initial thoughts on the role Mr Woodward will play – extracts below the fold.A couple of paragraphs, with links, worth highlighting from Mick’s post
So he can afford to take the financial hit, and he should know the ropes. Yet he’s not exactly a safe pair of hands. In his time as security minister under Hain he dropped the ball more than once. But I guess he combines a fine trace of blue blood to the Brown cabinet, with some knowledge of where the bodies are buried, and a clear understanding that they are not to be disturbed.
Overall, his task in Northern Ireland is hardly taxing. Primarily it involves the transfer of heavily circumscribed powers of policing and justice. The government’s target date for such a transfer is May next year. But with Ian Paisley junior still arguing that this cannot take place until 2011, the issue may require some considerable finessing. It has the potential to cause some disruption down the line.
At last a Sec of State Donaldson can look in the face
Pete,
your description of the P&J transfer of power as ‘heavily circumscribed’ is in line with Newton’s conclusions but not in my opinion with the facts as he presents them in his article. His main gripe is the independence/lack of accountability from the assembly of the Director of the Public Proscetution Service. But he also states that a new Non Iron Attorney General ( appointed by the assembly ) will appoint the Director. If SF & DUP agree to put a man of ‘integrity’ into the AG’s office and he appoints a similar good egg then that is a pretty healthy looking set up to me.
No matter who the DPP is, if there is insufficient evidence to prosecute there is insufficent evidence. What some people want are show trials to fit their own (often made up) versions of events. It wont happen.