“They are a dysfunctional office in a dysfunctional Executive..”
As I mentioned yesterday, before someone at the BBC intervened, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers are in Downing St today to hear the offer from Gordon Brown on future funding of devolved policing and justice. The BBC reports that Peter Robinson wants potential future government agreement too. The Conservatives have responded – “We cannot give any guarantees on any spending programmes.” And there’s this from the BBC report
However the SDLP’s justice spokesman, Alban Maginness, said the problem was not one of finance, but was due to the failure of the DUP and Sinn Fein “to reach any agreement on any major issue”. “They are a dysfunctional office in a dysfunctional Executive and they are not delivering to the people of Northern Ireland” he said.
So why devolve justice in this context?Continued from the BBC report
Alban Maginness said the first and deputy first ministers were “completely and utterly polarised” over the devolution deal and he blamed the “flawed” St Andrews agreement.
“St Andrews was effectively an illusion as far as the transfer of policing and justice was concerned and the British Government, and indeed the Irish government, did everything possible to get the DUP over the line and that included misrepresentations in relation to the transfer of policing and justice” he said.
Indeed it was. And it was intended to be for one party’s benefit in particular. As both governments know.
So what next?
Update Come back next week.
Adds And some comments from OFMDFM
Speaking afterwards, both ministers said some progress had been made. “I think everybody recognises that it is important that we get these matters right,” Mr Robinson said. “No-one should be rushing towards the devolution of policing and justice in circumstances that leave us without the necessary funding.”
However, Mr McGuinness said his party wanted a deal concluded as soon as possible because a general election could leave them negotiating with a different party. “I don’t know what the next government is going to be,” he said. “Is it going to be a Labour government? Is it going to be a Conservative government? “What we have to do as politicians is conclude a deal now.”
“I no longer think Joint Authority is the automatic ‘next’ step it once was and that argument will not as reliabel for the DUP to use. It is certainly northern nationalism’s preferred scenario but that doesn’t make it inevitable.”
I think the British Goverment would be happy to get rid of NI plc.
You are correct a UI is not inevitable but the UK will cut funding to this place till the point where it does not cost the English any money….and that is inevitable……
Sammy
keep up. The administrative arrangements have been agreed, a date for transfer has not.
It’s not A Level physics. The DUP & UUP are dragging politics out to the next Westminster election in the hope that a right wing anti-Nationalist Conservative government is returned. Everyone knows the Tories are still the arrogant colonial Little Englanders they always were and some Unionists want to replay this. It is ridiculous, no matter what happens in the next Westminster election the two communities are still going to have to live and share power together. Sinn Fein’s reputation within Nationalism is not very good but they always get a boost when Robinson, Allister and Empey spout their tribal nonsense. It’s no wonder Alban and his SDLP colleagues tear their hair out. Sinn Fein don’t have to do very much when these Unionist dinosaurs are about. There will be NO rewriting of the GFA; there will be NO return to Unionist majority misrule and Nationalists will play a full part in ANY devolved administration here. However I would also add that Mark Durkan didn’t help matters much when he gave that ridiculous speech last year encouraging weighted majority rule. It was a Godsend to Unionists. As I said last year Durkan was very irresponsible with his words and should realise they have done a lot of damage. I still think he should have resigned as he lost a lot of respect within the Catholic community for that, many still with bitter memories of the past.
probably fair to say that nationalists are well into the boredom phase of dealing with unionism in Stormont and a sizable percentage are looking outside of politics for the next step forward. Sinn Fein, are unless they pull something out of the bag, the new SDLP, now who is the new Sinn Fein?
no matter what happens in the next Westminster election the two communities are still going to have to live and share power together.
They can do that at our national parliament at Westminster. Under a UU/Tory government. Anyone who doesn’t like this arrangement should write to their MP and tell them so. That’s democracy!
[i]probably fair to say that nationalists are well into the boredom phase of dealing with unionism in Stormont and a sizable percentage are looking outside of politics for the next step forward.[/i]
Can you offer any evidence to substantiate those claims?
Ah Driftwood this word democracy that Unionists keep banging on about. Didn’t Carson leave politics because he didn’t want partition of the island? He wanted one united country within the British Commonwealth which in the long run would probably have been a better solution. Eventually Britain capitulated and imposed partition which was NEVER put to the entire people of the island; democracy and the Northern statelet are misnomers. Today the North is still an illegitimate state like Israel and we reap the bitter harvest of that. However I would bet my house that once Nationalists are 50% + 1 in the North Unionists will turn their backs on ‘democracy’ and impose a campaign of violence against the wishes of the majority. In such a scenario the British will have to involve the UN and Irish unity will officially begin, the UN will NOT go against majority wishes and a unified island under NATO would suit the West anyway. Unionists will eventually bring about a United Ireland NOT Nationalists.
[i]I would bet my house that once Nationalists are 50% + 1 in the North Unionists will turn their backs on ‘democracy’ and impose a campaign of violence against the wishes of the majority.[/i]
In that case it’s a good job that such a profound demographic change will never actually come to pass.