Wednesday, March 19, 2008
“major problems ahead..”
That’s the prediction of the deputy First minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, on what will happen if the devolution of policing and justice powers is not completed by May in his interview with UTV’s Ken Reid - Direct streaming link here [wmv file]. He also denies having that conversation with Jonathan Powell. Of course, the deputy First Minister is still referring to May 2008 as a “deadline” rather than a ‘target date’.. And, as well as pointing to these comments, and these, he states that “It’s a big issue for Sinn Féin.” Indeed. Although he doesn’t predict what the SF leadership will say in response to that Ard Fheis motion..
Pete Baker @ 07:52 PM
One parliament can’t promise another to a course of action and nothing is forever.
That is one of the reasons UN treaties frequently have to be fairly non-specific.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 01:05 AMGood god, this is what some people’s revolution has come down.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 01:42 AM“Everybody is in agreement that May 2008 is a ‘target date’.”
The DUP blame ‘lack of confidence’ but this stance should be equated with another DUP quote that was ‘of a mind’ and looked what happened with that one. A u-turn. The reason for not meeting the target date is spurious, wholly false, trickery.
And it’s trickery because they haven’t got the leadership nor the charisma that is required to bolster confidence across the DUP and to instill that among its electorate. They cant see it through because of this. Punt is too blunt and too vacuous an entity.
I mean, Pete, sit down and breathe in and out...okay.
Right let me frame this now:
“How can there be no confidence to share power over policing matters whenever the DUP already co-govern with Sinn Fein. Seriously how?”
Just answer that question.
Half-in half-out is open to critical questioning which makes the DUP look very hypocritical and uncertain of where they now are. Leadership is required yet Punt wants a safe seat. We’ll see. From my reading of it all it smacks very highly of contradictory politics and indeed political stances within the DUP at leadership level. Half-in half-out tends to create a half-baked ideas. And this ‘no confidence’ is a nonsense given the current setup.
The stark reality is that the two governments have pre-cooked this one already so it’s only a matter of doing at some point, the ‘when’ is just a matter of playing for time in a bid to eradicate Dr No memories that tend to stick in the mind of unionists. This is just done to save DUP seats for its career politicians. Stuff your seats JFDI!
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 02:11 AMThis will be sorted out between the DUP and SF through backchannels, they need eachother to survive and neither will want to be to blame for collapsing the Executive again.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 03:42 AMThe attitude of some of the unionist posters on this thread is worryingly obstinate. Constant referrals to sovreign powers, Sinn Fein’s willingness to lie down and role over, petty point scoring of vetos etc.
Sounds increasingly less like these guys actually want a shared peaceful future but would rather rub in the face of nationalists that we’re still subject to British rule. “We’re in charge, we’ll decide what happens and when, and you’ll just have to sit there and take it, Mick.” It’s like there is a mass creaming of underwear every time you get to throw an artificially engineered majority about the place.
Devolution of P&J;was a part of STA and the spirit of the Agreement calls on all parties to work towards the target date. Slippage may occur but would be acceptable if the DUP could produce a shred of evidence that they where working towards that goal.
Instead of being happy that Republicans have put the constitutional question to one side (and made massive concessions regarding its legitimacy) and are willing to work as coalition partners you can hardly contain your glee whilst pointing the finger and singing “Look what we made you do!”
FFS lads, can we get over the gloating and get this devolution thing up running seeing as all the main parties agreed to it?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 04:52 AMDC: “How can there be no confidence to share power over policing matters whenever the DUP already co-govern with Sinn Fein. Seriously how?”
The obvious response would be the appearance of on-going criminality by PIRA-related individuals, most notably the murders of Quinn and McCartney, what with the appearance of cover-up, witness intimidation, etc. The phrase “they haven’t gone away, you know” would appear to be coming back to hobble certain aspirations. If absolutely nothing else, the damning appearance make for a ready excuse to their own constituencies.
DC: “From my reading of it all it smacks very highly of contradictory politics and indeed political stances within the DUP at leadership level.”
Given the passing of the baton, I would expect there to be more of these contradictions, as the new bosses sort out what they want, what they’ll give and what they think they can get away with.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 05:19 AMAnd so continues the streams of crocodile tears for Paul Quinn and Robert McCartney. Jesus Christ, there’s a chance you might even be taken seriously if the delight at another chance to lay the boot into the Shinners wasn’t as painfully obvious. I used to drink in McGuinness’ Bar before and after the McCartney incident and while I wasn’t there on the night in question, I’ll be perfectly honest and say that if I was I probably wouldn’t have opened my mouth either.
Is that because I think the IRA remain to be a functional paramilitary organisation? Nope.
Is it because I would have thought I might be dragged to Connolly House the next morning and interrogated? Nope.
Is it because I would have thought to myself, “If they can do that to him then they’d have no problem doing that to me or a member of my family?” We have a winner.
And there’s the nub. The IRA have ‘left the stage’. Lack of witnesses for the aforementioned murders is intimidation, no doubt. But not Sinn Fein intimidation. Not even IRA intimidation. Just intimidation of the cold-blooded people capable of taking personal disputes to a terrifying extreme.
If you think it’s cowardly go to the next bunch of loyalist drug dealers you pass on the street (during daylight hours) and tell them exactly what you think of them.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 05:51 AMSammy:
“if you make an agreement with another country which covers areas of mutual interest then could you not be in breach of that agreement if you decide to amend your own legislation which is relevant to that mutual interest?”
Obviously UK Govt will not want to do anything that would offend RoI Govt but UK Parliament is sovereign and can do what it wants in UK.
Sinn Fein have very limited room for manouvre.Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:01 AMBonar Law
a deterent only works if your opponent believes that you will use it. No one believes SF will press the button. Yet already the DUP have vetoed the 7 council model, the ILA and now P&J;devolution (by May at any rate) and what from SF? Grizzly making some piss-poor remark about blocking the RoboDome in East Belfast!
We can clearly see the beginning of a shift in SF attitudes, however “piss-poor” you believe it to be. As I said previously, I don’t see the nuclear option being hit right away. But there are certainly a range of things SF could do to make life difficult for the DUP.
The constitutional nonsense would not be resolved- the Shinners are hoist on their own petard. Lobby for the institutions to be legislated out of existance and remove the vehicle to which P&J;was to be devolved to or stick with the agreed structures and accept the DUP has the final say on when (if) it happens.
The issue becomes wider than simply P&J;at that point; if the DUP view the Assembly as exercise in being top dog, and in simply killing everything Nationalism wants, SF are far better off removing it and pushing for Plan B.
SF certainly need to cure Unionism of the attitude they can do what they want because SF will do nothing about it. They should be showing teeth for that reason alone.
Bob
If a new stadium requires an Assembly decision of any sort, SF can block it. It could be imposed from above.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:50 AMMinister Catriona Ruane’s department doesn’t know the legal definition of a child by age.
The UTU perspective in today’s Newsletter was two years out, the SOA 2003 answer is U18.
Let us be honest, the last thing we need is Sinn Fein pretending to be able to do policing or education.
If the DENI doesn’t know the legal definition of a child, what’s the point?
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Sex-offenders-may-be-working.3896882.jp
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 12:00 PMSinn Fein are in bed with Jim Gamble.
CEOP have the job of managing the FBI, to deliver just enough to keep state.gov & justice.gov going public in relation to British teachers.
I’ve worked 7 years to get the sex offenders out of Ulster’s schools, I’m no closer today than I was in 2001.
I paid for thousands of Holy Cross leaflets out of my own pocket, it is hardly the case I didn’t weigh up issues before deciding to help Sinn Fein. Why can’t they help me for once?
What is the exact deal with this sex offender obfuscation. Do they have to be in the UDA or something before they’re a problem for Sinn Fein?
It is the Ulster Unionist Party who are claiming to be gobsmacked, SF are not lining up to ask Catriona how come her Dept. doesn’t know the legal definition of a child!
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 12:24 PMKensei
‘SF are far better off removing it and pushing for Plan B.’
If you think Brown or a future Cameron Govt are interested in pursuing this I think you’d be sorely dissapointed. (Actually Blair wasnt interested either Paisley talk of Plan B was a smokescreen)
Sinn Fein need to bed the institutions down as this is as good as it gets for them. Talk of nuclear options is counter productive.Overall both DUP and SF are generating a row largely over nothing - keeps their core supporters happy.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 12:29 PMIf you think Brown or a future Cameron Govt are interested in pursuing this I think you’d be sorely dissapointed. (Actually Blair wasnt interested either Paisley talk of Plan B was a smokescreen)
Sinn Fein need to bed the institutions down as this is as good as it gets for them. Talk of nuclear options is counter productive.No, I don’t think they are particularly interested. Which is why if the Assembly collapses they’ll make token efforts to knock heads together, then just get on with it with input from the Republic.
I think it is inappropriate to talk of the “nuclear option” at this time. Which would be why SF has merely referred to specific proposals and “major problems”. The DUP has been more gleefully using its veto, and then boasting of all the things it killed. That leads only one way.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 12:49 PM‘they need each other to survive and neither will want to be to blame for collapsing the Executive again.’
The old fable of the scorpion and frog comes to mind except in this case its a very large bullfrog with not one but several scorpions clinging to it’s back for the trip to the other side -the land of perpetual milk and honey etc etc. Right now the bullfrog has just entered the water to begin the long swim . Already some of the scorpions have become edgy and have started priming their poisonous claws .
At some point ‘nature’ will have it’s way and one or other of the scorpions will be unable to resist the temptation.
As to which is party is frog or scorpion it doesn’t much matter for the people of NI . For to swim successfully across the wide stream each party is going to have to spend so much time watching it’s scorpions or looking over it’s shoulder at the menace on top that neither will be able to focus properly on the work at hand . So Northern Ireland can at best look forward to governmental performance of a mediocre nature for as long as the present ‘system’ is in place.
So expect no miracles -no major economic turnaround -no reduction in the dependency syndrome and a continuing outflow from NI of the best and brightest from all communities.Perhaps it would be for the best if one or other of the scorpions resorted to it’s natural instinct sooner rather than later !
This particular Circus/Assembly already has enough clowns as it is - it also has enough high wire acts of derring do in terms of tribal community enhancement .
As the bullfrog and attached scorpions fret nervously they may remember the name of the river they are attempting to cross . Rubicon comes to mind .
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 01:11 PM
