First DUP/SF back-room ‘deal’ of new Assembly?

After the public posturing by Sinn Féin earlier in the week, the DUP’s William Hay has been returned as Speaker in the new Northern Ireland Assembly.  The BBC report notes

BBC NI’s political editor Mark Devenport said a deal had been struck between the DUP and Sinn Fein over the speaker’s job.

“The job is going to go to William Hay, but it looks like he won’t actually be performing that role for the entire period of this assembly,” he said.

Instead maybe three years down the track, he is likely to step aside and there’s likely to be a rotation, so that Sinn Fein, probably Francie Molloy, can come in and take that job. [added emphasis]

That would be the DUP honouring a past promise from Ian Paisley that they would support a nationalist for this job.”

Unless something happens in the meantime…

Still, setting the tone and all that.  [Is that a ‘good’ tone? – Ed]  It depends…

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