“…intervenes to create difficulties”
Maurice Hayes takes Alliance to task for their position of policing and justice. He states:
There is a perverse constant in Northern Ireland politics that just when things are becoming simple, some individual or group intervenes to create difficulties — even if it means acting entirely out of character. Just when the awkward squads on both sides had seemed to be mastering the art of negotiation and compromise, the former good guys of the Alliance Party decide that the time has come for them to make trouble. It is ironic that the party which owes its inception, and its ethos, to the need to build bridges between unionist and nationalist camps should now appear to have committed themselves to demolishing the frail bridge that is under construction between DUP and Sinn Fein on the devolution of powers relating to policing and the administration of justice… What Alliance and all the others were elected for was to make the system work, which is the current political imperative.
” isn’t it the case that the whole d’Hondt sequence needs to be re-run again with the justice ministry selected at the appropriate point”
I agree. That would seem to be the logical and legal thing to do but then this is a political carve up deal between two blame averse parties who want to posture for political effect so they can maximize their vote, stiff the SDLP / UUP and corral the more extreme wings of their own parties. An open and transparent process is the last thing they want.
CS,
I never said Alliance would be wreckers. I said I thought this was a mistake and a missed opportunity. I disagree with IJP that Alliance would become bound by the decisions or non-decisions of the Executive as a whole, particularly if it made clear that it was entering on certain conditions. I’d agree though that they should demand progress on other issues like integrated housing to take the position. This is partly why I think it was a mistake to not take the post – force some movement in return.
Garibaldy
But the experience of 2001 is quite clear – you agree to do your bit, and the others shaft you.
Maybe they should agree to do their bit first?
If the other parties came to Alliance saying “Let’s try to negotiate a new Programme for Government you can go with, as well as some changes to the institutions, and we’ll see if we can do a deal”, the answer would not be “no”.
But that’s not what happened and it’s plainly not what’s on offer. In fact, it turns out the Minister position wasn’t even to be in the Executive at all! What a farce.
IJP,
I understand Alliance’s fear of getting screwed. But we’re in a new era now, where both the DUP and Provos have demonstrated their ability to get things done when they want to, and override any possible opposition from within the Executive. A deal done with them could have been forced through, and if they break their word walk away. It means too much to them not to have it work.
Maurice was grossly unfair to Alliance