“make no mistake there is nervousness within the Sinn Fein ranks.”
On his blog, UTV’s Ken Reid tells us that on Thursday the Northern Ireland Executive will probably discuss the policing and justice legislation they saw at the last meeting. And, despite Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness trying to suggest that he might turn down whatever offer Gordon Brown makes in September – which does look likely to be a key time – Ken cautions
It all seems to be going smoothly but make no mistake there is nervousness within the Sinn Fein ranks. If the devolution does not take place by the end of the year there are all the necessary ingredients for a full scale crisis.
Well, they might need another distraction by then.. Update As Mark Devenport reports – “The latest moves may answer the question about where justice powers will be wielded from, but we still do not know when it will happen.” Whilst from the NI Secretary of State – “It is for the local politicians to decide when the time is right to do that, but the completion of devolution would be the best signal to send out to those opposed to democracy and stability in Northern Ireland.” If those parties agree that “the time is right”. But Sinn Féin deliberately destabilising the NI Executive for their own party political reasons, again, would send out what message? Adds BBC report after the NI Executive meeting.
MMG*
lol pete d’nial aint just a river in Egypt
Sad isn’t it, P&J has been reduced to a party political football. When what we need is the existing portfolios being run efficiently and the parties working together for the good of everyone.
But no let’s throw in the biggest problem of all which is why it wasn’t devolved in the first place. Then we will gerrymander the d’Hondt process to ensure it is given to the smallest of the main parties.
What a shambles, two parties in turmoil whose main interest is in sustaining themselves fighting to keep their supporters ‘onside’ squabbling over P&J and a third waiting for some scraps to fall off the table so they can join the big boys.
Sammy,
i remember it but judging by how adamant Pete is he must be right in this mustn’t he?
quagmire msg 4
you have got to the nub of it. the shinners have shipped onboard serious problems with their base support leaking since they joined up with the duplicity party. they,ll be left with no option but to suspend the executive again, [this is the only thing they done to put robbo under the cosh since ’07. i agree it will be history by christmas.
Duth ealla,
…unless of course there is more than one Pete Baker.
Pete,
I’m not in the habit of compiling ‘evidence’ for future reference but rely instead on frank and open discussion.
Sammy
Then stop mis-representing what I’ve said and/or argued.
Quagmire
How the hell has asked US (the state of Ireland) about unification? What’s in it for us?
Every republican seems to assume that once you persuade the Unionists to unify (as if) it will happen overnight.
Nobody seems to think about the wishes of the people down south.
The fact of the matter is that the state of affairs in Northern Ireland is of your making, your problem, and your responsibility to solve.
Transferring those problems from one country to another will solve nothing.
17.God/John, you state that one can determine a PSF supporter by their “lack of empathy for other human beings.”
Does merely apply to their senior leadership or does it extend further to the party’s activists and voters which numbered more than 330,000 throughout the island at the last election?
Logically it must apply to all supporting the party to one extent or other.
Driftwood:
It’ll take time but unfortunately Education has been devolved to Trumpton, where it has become a bunfight. That said, no direct rule minister ever had the balls to deal with it.
Doesn’t that last comment sort of fuck up your whole thesis about things being better managed from London ? No direct rule minister ever had the balls to do anything here. That’s quite appropriate given that nobody here elected either them or their government. That won’t change when the Conservatives win given that the UCUNF will almost certainly still have no seats.
If the people in this country want to be properly governed, they need to understand that they have the responsibility to make this happen by electing politicians who do things.
The primary purpose of any government should be to provide for the safety of its citizens. A government which does not control that is not worthy of the name.
Comrade Stalin
I believe the conservative and Unionist Party will win seats in all parts of the UK in the UK General election due soon. including NI (oh and including North Down and East Belfast- can we go a tenner to the dogs trust on both those seats, Tim Collins in one of them).
I should have added ‘New labour’ to my direct rule ‘no balls’ ministers. After all it was only thanks to Tory direct rule we have Sunday opening and other liberal laws. I hope Owen Patterson brings us into line with the mainland on legal Abortion.
Your last statement is invalidated by the realpolitik of the Trumpton assembly. It isn’t working. On that point, would you like to see Treasury, Defence and Foreign office functions devolved to Trumpton?
ferganamin msg 8
Thanks for pointing that out. it’s what i have said before on these pages. If a referendum is organised for the north, the first thing Dublin will do is organise one down there. The response is predictable, so they won’t need to waste money on a campaign. they are obliged to do this in order to secure the stability and security of their state.
danielmoran,
Because of this hoary-old jihad for unification, SF will never become a true 21st century party. If their main reason for being is a concept outdated to the majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland, their appeal will remain limited to purely their local following.
CS
The one thing we can be sure of is that the Alliance party won’t have any seats even if the Lord Mayor Naiomi has the brass neck to attempt quadruple jobbing ( her opponents will have a field day) – don’t you have any other members?
As for the Conservatives and Unionists they will have more than the current one.