Tuesday, June 03, 2008
McDonnell: Sinn Fein will sign up to Robinson’s deal…
With Gerry Adams going to see Gordon Brown today, Alasdair McDonnell believes Sinn Féin is “simply talking up a crisis to cover up its negotiating mistakes at St Andrews, and its subsequent political failures”:
They built their trap themselves and they walked into it. Sinn Féin will cut a deal very soon, but let there be absolutely no doubt, it will be Peter Robinson’s deal. It will keep Sinn Féin in power, perhaps with some personnel changes, but it will not be a good deal for nationalists.
Mick Fealty @ 08:45 AM
I have to agree with Alasdair McDonnell on this one, Sinn Fein have made massive mistakes in signing up to the St Andrews aggreement. The DUP are in complete control in the assembly and have blocked anything Sinn Fein apparently secured at At Andrews.
(1) No policing and Justice transfered
(2) No Irish Language act
(3) No Maze stadium
(4) A U Turn on Education
Sinn Fein have been made complete fools of, they were wined and dined by the British and sadly for Irish republicans history has repeated it self once again.Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:15 AMNo one wants the institutions brought down with Bush on his way, robinson is in a strong position, SF are setting themselves up for a fall.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:28 AMShoudl Alasdair McDonnell lead the SDLP?
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:34 AMThe DUP would be in a very strong position in the unlikely event of an election. They only have to recite the litany of Sinn Féin’s frustated intitiatives, neatly summarised by ‘Truth’ above, to silence the TUV and the UUP.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:34 AMIf the DUP think SF are serious about not nominating, thay can frustrate then easily - all it takes is for Paisley not to resign.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:37 AMSpot on truth. I am NO great SDLP fan but they flagged this up AFTER St. Andrew’s. Sinn Fein were out-negotiated, out-thought, out-dealt and TOTALLY out-played in Scotland. The DUP are master tacticians and have played the Shinners like a fiddle. Many nationalists believe that the DUP are in FULL control of Stormont with the Shinner monkey dancing to the Unionist organ grinder; it has been VERY embarrassing to watch sometimes. Did ANYONE EVER believe that the DUP had changed? They were ALWAYS a divisive, sectarian party that wants to keep full control of their wee fiefdom up at Parliament Buildings AND Sinn Fein have been their willing submissive partner. We witnessed the antics of the DUP on Belfast City Council last night when the tried desperatly to keep a Nationalist Lord Mayor out and then spit fire when Tom Hartley’s was elected. That is the TRUE DUP. Policing & Justice = OUT; Maze Stadium = OUT; Irish Language Act = OUT; Parades Commission = OUT; Changes to Education = OUT. THANK YOU SINN FEIN. THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE DELIVERED.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:40 AMWab - is this true? Couldn’t Marty just resign and instead and bring about the same situation?
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:41 AMlets be clear policing and justice will be transfered and Brown could move this on by threatening to squeeze the policing budget.
the dup will deliver a language act which creates equality between Ulster scots and Irish
SF ministers who would have to cough for the infrastructure around the Maze won’t weep for the loss of the stadium
education is a mess and will remain so while ruane is there but there is hardly a u-turn
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:43 AMWab,
Then the long-term stability of the institutions rests on Paisley staying in good health. How sustainable is that?
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:43 AMI would agree with you truth and following on from that I would say that true to form the British Government have got Sinn fein and the republican movement exactly where they want it. Despite the figures at the last election Sinn Fein have heamoraged support since. 200 people at the public meeting with Gerry Adams for Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan compared to 1600 in the same venue last year. 2 buses were laid on in Armagh to bring supporters to their public meeting only 10 people availed of them. The British government have been as crafty as they always were, Sinn Fein Support is dropping away, republicans are splintering and the Provos are impotent. By the time the British have released a few more informers names, exposed other unsavoury practices by Sinn Fein which they are turning a blind eye to at the moment they will have put the final nail in their coffin. Sinn Fein’s biggest problem was they never got to know their enemy.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:49 AMDessertspoon:
“Couldn’t Marty just resign and instead and bring about the same situation?”
There’s something more dramatic about the sin of commission than the sin of omission. Marty could have resigned at any point in the past or future, but I suspect would have come across as more at fault for doing so.
It’s a strange coincidence that the Paisley/Robinson switchover, which provided the mechanism to bring things to a head, comes in the same week as SF’s P & J deadline expired. Which makes me wonder if there’s some background choreography going on (wasn’t Paisley originally due to retire the same week as Ahern??)
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:49 AMWhat’s to stop Sinn Féin from nominating someone else as DFM? Caitriona Ruane, for example. How would unionists take to voting for that double act?
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:55 AMSF are just “swinging the lead”.
Don’t teach your kids this technique, they’ll have ya by the bollocks for more pocket-money.Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 10:55 AMPeter Robinson’s body language and countenance on TV last night was that of a man whose Christmases had all come at once. He’ll throw a few crumbs to the SF beggars as and when he feels like giving them some scraps.
That is SF, the lap dog begging for its master to give it some sustenance.
Our day will come….ROFLMAO!Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:00 AMFair point Ian…I just think the whole thing is rather sad. All of this stop start nonsense is not doing us any good.
Driftwood - I read someone elses comments that said they though Robinson looked a bit nervous and unsure…funny how two people can look at the same thing but see something completely different.Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:06 AMdriftwood,
‘Peter Robinson’s body language and countenance on TV last night was that of a man whose Christmases had all come at once. He’ll throw a few crumbs to the SF beggars as and when he feels like giving them some scraps. ‘
So you believe Mr Robinson is an idiot and wants the Assembly to fail ? SF will allow Robinson to settle in and Paisley to retire but they won’t put up with the ‘croppy lie down’ treatment . If the UUP can walk out so too can SF . But if they do they’ll choose the time and issue . And what then for DUP political carriers ?
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:17 AM‘Sinn Fein’s biggest problem was they never got to know their enemy.’
So this explains why SF is the second biggest party in the Assembly and may be the largest after the next election ? And also now hold the Lord Mayorship of Belfast ?
With political enemies delivering like this SF doesn’t need friends .Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:24 AMGreenflag
No, Robinson is far from being an idiot. He knows SF are bluffing, and won’t go ahead with this, which will make them look even weaker.
I don’t think he’s even bothered. Westminster is probably past caring, but some small morsel of comfort will be needed to SF, so they can claim some sort of ‘achievement’ to plaster over the mess.Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:25 AMMalachi O’Doherty had a good piece on Talkback today. He pointed out that Gordon Brown needs the backing of the DUP in the Commons. If SF had taken up their seats they might be in a stronger bargaining position. But they didn’t.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:39 AMI agree with most of had has been said by the unionist commentators above and generally agree that the DUP are in a strong position.
HOWEVER
The LAST thing brown needs is the assembly to come crashing down. He may get desparate and try to appease SF. then again, he needs DUP votes ...
Could be an interesting week…
What all this has highlighted is went a cracking job the DUP did negotiating - if an election was called, I think they could spin all this very much in their favour.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:56 AMNot for the first time O’Doherty is out of touch. Brown doesn’t need the DUP votes as he now has enough of his own MPs on board and if he did, do you really think the DUP would vote against increased detention of terrorist suspects? O’Doherty can’t be trusted to offer reliable any analysis of SF as he constantly lets his antipathy to cloud his judgment.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:57 AMRunning to the British Prime Minister because you fouled up on delivery in Government is an off strategy for an Irish Republican party. They have simply been trumphed politically on all the major issues, SF have had an awful run in Government over the last year.
I would love to hear the conversation where Adams and Co are pleading with Gordon Brown to deliver on issues which are totally within the remit of the Assembly (stadium / shrine & ILA).
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 11:57 AMbrendan
apparently Gerry and Marty have left Downing street without commenting, Peter is to meet Gordon later, I wonder who will be alpha male in that chat?Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 12:05 PMThe only thing this proves is the DUP can not so much as change their leader without SF/IRA agreement.
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 12:25 PM‘Brown doesn’t need the DUP votes as he now has enough of his own MPs on board and if he did,’
Labour do sound very confident about their own rebels toeing the line - but is this because they have bought off the DUP?
‘do you really think the DUP would vote against increased detention of terrorist suspects?’
For £200m of course they would
Posted by on Jun 03, 2008 @ 12:25 PM
