Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Neglecting the arrant pieces of jigsaw…
Apologies for the third mention of the Powell book in three posts, but this is a bit of catch up. My piece for the Guardian’s Comment is Free site made the top column yesterday. So far the extracts have made for entertaining reading (‘unbugged’ conversations with Adams in the Number Ten gents for instance). The real problems left by the St Andrews Agreement, is the not huge political step forward that it clear represents, but the way it has left some rather awkward details to fester unattended.
Mick Fealty @ 12:22 PM
There’s some interesting enough points in the piece. My perspective (which I’ve outlined more fully on my own blog) is that there is nothing especially revelatory in the extracts of Powell’s book I’ve read. I think the cosiness between the government and SF only serves to re-emphasise how important it was for unionists to be involved in the process and for Trimble to steer the deal back to a position where it at least addressed the concerns of unionism.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 03:28 PMfor addressed read acknowledged.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 03:28 PMChekov
I agree, if the Guardian extracts are anything to go by I cannot see anything that was not already in the public domain bar a sandwich and the sausage jockeys dogs. Why anyone would get excited about these types of books is a mystery to me, as they have been vetted by both the cabinet office and the UK security services so are not going to contain anything revealing or new.
Shock horror, when the GFA was being negotiated the British government engaged in secret meeting with the PRM. The whole peace process was a series of secret meetings, bar the publicity jamborees their were no public meeting. Indeed, that it was negotiated behind the backs of the people who live in the north is the very reason the GFA is such a flawed agreement that mainly benefits the British government. It is also why it cannot last it its current undemocratic form.
Think about it, what exists must be every occuping governments dream, the British have managed to set up an administration in the north that can never be voted out of office and they did so with the full support of the norths so called democratic political parties.
Is it any wonder Powell cannot take the glee off his pen as first he gives Martin McGuinness a swift jab in the ribs, followed by giving Adams a hefty kick in the balls. All good fun amongst old pals of course.
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 05:31 PMThe only interesting bit surely was Adams admition that a UI is not going to happen see
http://www.conservativesni.com
Posted by on Mar 19, 2008 @ 06:44 PM
