Monday, March 24, 2008
“failure to deliver will seriously damage their credibility..”
The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, MP, may or may not actually believe that the NI Executive has become “one of the most successful governments anywhere”.. ANYhoo.. It’s part of the mood music for the 10th anniversary of the 1998 Agreement and, whilst Bill Clinton will be elsewhere, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has decided to hold a gala dinner for former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at Dublin Castle. Maurice Hayes is less impressed with the “rush to memorialise” - “it is still a work in progress” - and he recalls a Brendan Behan tale about Corporation workers “celebrating the seventh birthday of the hole”. He also identifies why the Sinn Féin leadership continue to mis-represent the May ‘target date’ as an enforceable ‘deadline’ when talking up the devolution of policing and justice powers - despite it being clear for some time. From the article
Sinn Fein needs these powers to be devolved, not only because they represent the last piece of the Patten jigsaw, but because it was a main element in the bill of sale on which they persuaded republicans to buy into support for policing.
For Patten, it was a defining function of government, and a manifest of the commitment of parties to defend the institutions and the common good, that they should exercise these powers. For Sinn Fein and republicans, it is symbolically important that these powers should be exercised by local politicians responsible to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Without that, the Sinn Fein leadership would not have got agreement, and failure to deliver will seriously damage their credibility.
Which may be the reason for those predicted “major problems ahead..” Adds A further thought. With conditions on the ground being so important to building confidence ahead of devolving those powers.. does this help or hinder?
Pete Baker @ 08:23 PM
As I said,
May 08 might have been a “reasonable enough target date” at St Andrews.
But that ignores what’s happened since then.
Again, it’s the detail rather than the party political disagreements that I’m more interested in.
Additionally,
Pointing elsewhere is merely a distraction.
Any supporters of SF pointing elsewhere, or otherwise, should be the ones asking the most questions.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 01:46 AMSpin it anyway you want pete this a bag of burning poop and its not on SF’s stoop its sitting squarely in front of DUP headquarters and when they eventualy try to stomp it out its robinsons gucci’s that are going to end up smelling shitty
this is a gift to SF and Gerry should send the DUP a thank you card
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 01:56 AMThat’s fine Pete stand there like a proud peacock strutting over your ‘detail’ but you may as well join in with the grandstanding politicians.
There is work to be done in this particular field. As far as I can recall, and I’ll have to allege this, but as I cant come across any noted sentencing after such charges I think those two other Vallidays got off after intimidating the witnesses.
No confidence. Indeed.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 02:05 AMOh and here’s another Valliday:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4467618.stm
It’s time to stop putting heads in sand to save seats do something while in power even it is at a cost of voter strength.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 02:10 AMTHe Brits will never allow SOCA & ye olde UKIS funtions to be subject to devolved plitical actions here, unless they know that immigration stuff can stay secret.
That’s the basic deal with the present PSNI.
I can’t see the DUP go on TV to reveal that half the local firms in Ballymoney were in breach of their agreements with the Home Office re: migrant workers.
On the other hand, it is not as if SF have a track record of actually caring. They’re a money-grabbing act as well. We could have more of that Blairite spoof-talking.
So long as SF don’t do Daily Mail front-pages, it might be OK. And it is beginning to look as if SF is that kind of party. At the end of the day it amounts to a form of colonialism.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 03:28 AMWhat happens when SF, Adams, McGuinness, Pat Doc, Spike and co are all forced by the DUP to deliver Orange marches along the Ormeau and Garvaghy Roads in return for for P&J;, and the people living in those areas say “take a hike”?
There may be trouble ahead?
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 04:50 AMI think the DUP will hold out for something - not sure about orange marches. I’d imagine the dissolution of the army council would be enough and a fair enough compromise.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 09:27 AMPerhaps you should lighten up, DC. Are the Vallidays any worse than a prospective minister of policing and justice, Gerry Kelly? Sure it’s all been a great bit of crack.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 10:21 AM“failure to deliver will seriously damage their credibility..”
I don’t see how. SF are on the exact same hymn sheet as the Irish government so are positioned within “mainstream nationalist Ireland” on this one.
As for the obsession with whether this is a deadline or a target, this is exactly the round and round in circles conversation that happened with decomissioning.
It doesn’t matter if SF think there is an enforceable deadline or the DUP think that there is no deadline to devolve P&J;because, just like the non-existant deadline for decomissioning, it will have to happen if the “process” is to continue.
The alternative is the Assembly eventually grinding to a halt. If the Assembly collapses because of this, who benefits - the DUP or SF?
Or put more crudely, unionism or nationalism?
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 12:46 PMNow SF can point at the DUP and say we played their game and they still wont treat us as equals so maybe the armed struggle was necesary and maybe we will have to return to it at some point? They regain their soft support and financing from outside Ireland cause they can claim to be trying politics but the establishment wont let them in.
The whole anti-establishment thing will play particularily well in america where they mistakenly view themselves as modern day rebels
When Storomont collapses it will be put at the feet of unionist obstanance and SF will be lauded for trying to work with in the system. It may play well with unionist hardliners until such time as the next iteration of direct rule, if there is signifigant imput from the republic and a “greening” of nIreland then I dare say the last laugh will be had by Sinn Fein
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 12:51 PMI didn’t know the Vallidays had the opportunity to be pj minister.
The point being made is that politicians should try and put people first not themselves. Of course SF is guilty of it too with Mairead Farrell but there comes a time when you have to sit down and weigh things up.
And West Belfast is in a mess, all this has repercussions, into South Belfast etc, North, furthermore out into Northern Ireland. Perhaps you may be the next victim of the Vallidays Nevin?
The point I’m making is really why mess around by stalling with something so vital whenever clearly changes are needed as soon as possible. Time to put baggage to the side and move forward subtly towards working things out together. It’s a fait accompli.
Government isn’t easy but rather leave something positive from a term than have one with little or nothing achieved just to try and save both face and seats. I get the impression this is what is happening and it is time to point the finger at both Adams and Punt’s DUP as means to encourage them just to get on with what is largely expected of them.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 12:52 PMWell, DC, Valliday’s bad, Kelly’s heroes worse. Just imagine you put in a call for police assistance. Would you get the PSNI or Kelly’s heroes?
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 01:11 PMHopefully Kelly’s Heroes with Maskey as Telly Savalas.
:-)
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 01:14 PMWith a little licence, DC
DC: Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
Nevin: Crap!Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 02:07 PMKelly’s Heroes is the ultimate gasoline leakage movie. We also had a paramilitary bank robbery of significant scale, no peace process as such, I mean they’re Germans, when they’re on the back-foot, they just get worse. Of course the thing to steal in the latter days of WWII, was cigarettes, alcohol, (oddly enough) gasoline and food. So not so completely different and a little safer compared to West Belfast.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 03:00 PM“When Storomont collapses it will be put at the feet of unionist obstanance and SF will be lauded for trying to work with in the system.”
It won’t collapse, SF have had their glory days in the sun, they’re policy light, competence poor, and to be blunt not so well educated,
some of their candidates, are not fit for govt. They were single issue lobbyists with a private army who added a few PC items to the menu.
They are not so smart, some of them were defending FARC who are a shower of drug trafficking rapists.
That latter aspect doesn’t get a 1 out of 10 for reading Spanish language newspapers. Out of the entire party, how many speak Spanish, about twelve? That’s not so good.
Also name me one gay IRA person!
I didn’t see too many pink boilersuits in the last thirty years. Even the Sopranos had one, a fat one who looked silly in a leather cap, but still a gay person.
I do know of one IRA man who went on a job with sequined gloves though.
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 03:09 PM“What happens when SF, Adams, McGuinness, Pat Doc, Spike and co are all forced by the DUP to deliver Orange marches along the Ormeau and Garvaghy Roads in return for for P&J;, and the people living in those areas say “take a hike”? “
What has SF done for Garvaghy, Holy Cross or the Lower Ormeau? They took advantage of those people.
I don’t think parades are much of an issue. Nobody is going back in a bunker for that.
The Ormeau march is a main thoroughfare, that’s that, there is no argument against it,
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 03:14 PMIt won’t collapse, SF have had their glory days in the sun, they’re policy light, competence poor, and to be blunt not so well educated,
some of their candidates, are not fit for govt. They were single issue lobbyists with a private army who added a few PC items to the menu
Gregory explain to me how this is different then any other political party? Thats why they have back benches to hide the scuds that can get elected but are useless for anything else
As for the gay thing I don’t remember the IRA and especially Sinn Fein having an anti-gay agenda but prove me wrong and put up some examples
the anti-gay thing is a society norm in the western world and has only become mildly acceptablt in the last decade. Unless of course you’re a free P in chich case prepare for the red hot pokers and burnt at the stake
Posted by on Mar 25, 2008 @ 03:53 PMGregory
exactly. They were fine at running a squalid little war but are piss poor at running a government. Even Jonathan Powell realised this as the process ground to conclusion.
Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 11:19 AMThose who urge the rapid devolution of P & J seem to basing some of their argument on the need to ‘deal with’ criminality i.e.
“why mess around by stalling with something so vital whenever clearly changes are needed as soon as possible”
One could equally argue that given the nature of our politics and the lack of agreement about the very legitimacy of NI one should NOT devolve these areas for the foreseeable future.
The argument that a local Assembly - subject to the twin pressures of unionist/nationalist bickering and an inevitable call for ever more draconian measure - is ‘vital’ to make ‘changes’ that are needed as ‘asap’ is complete hogwash.Posted by on Mar 26, 2008 @ 02:35 PM
