Brian Feeney is fulminating this week on the fact of the Unionist veto. He may be ahead of the curve, but clearly he believes that the momentum within Ulster Unionism is now firmly with the Donaldson camp – though he seems never to have held any mainstream Unionist in high regard.
The prime motive for this group, he suggests, is to undermine the 1998 agreement come what may. They have foisted upon Unionism the unattainable criterion of IRA disbandment and are now pushing for a complete rejection of the recent Joint Declaration of the two governments.
He finishes with an appeal to the Irish government:
Now that unionist rejection of the Joint Declaration and therefore the agreement is obvious, it is up to the Irish government to demand a timetable for a programme of reform to change society here in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
Failure to do so will mean that the north remains in its default position � direct rule which suits unionists because it�s the most unionist form of government they can hope for. Why should they change? The British impose no penalties.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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