Sean Farren makes his latest response to Nigel Dodds. He charges Dodds with not being clear about his objection the main principles of the Belfast Agreement. He then goes on to argue that a review of procedures does not amount to a re-negotiation of the original Agreement.
Sean Farren replies to Nigel Dodds
Nigel Dodds� most recent reply is welcome, at least as a sign that he is prepared to continue debating. However, it would be a more meaningful and substantial debate if, instead of avoiding questions about his objections to the Good Friday Agreement, he was to start answering them.
While I agree the devil may well be in detail of any agreement, it is essential before addressing details that we know the principles to which the details relate. So far, Nigel has failed to indicate which principles in the Good Friday Agreement he finds unacceptable.
Because of this failure I make no apology for pressing the point and do not accept that specifying principles simply amounts to listing a set of platitudes.
Furthermore, since Nigel explicitly recognizes the need for unionist and nationalist support for an agreement to work, that entails agreement on certain principles. As far as the SDLP is concerned such principles include consent to constitutional change, an exclusively democratic partnership within the North and between North and South, equality for all and parity of esteem for our cultural traditions, all central to the Good Friday Agreement.
I feel even more justified in pressing the point given that the DUP does not uphold such principles at council level, witness the behaviour of its Ballymena councillors � �no� to partnership, �no� to parity of esteem, and �yes� to majority rule, for example.
Let me return to the one substantial issue which we have debated, accountability, an issue about which the DUP seems to be very preoccupied.
While acknowledging that Nigel may have problems with other aspects of the Good Friday Agreement, he chose to highlight accountability, not me.
Accountability is not an unimportant issue nor is there only one way of achieving it. So, as I have previously stated, I have no difficulty with any procedural or operational matter, and accountability is one, relating to the agreement being subject to review. Indeed the Good Friday Agreement provides for such a review.
But reviewing procedures does not amount to a fundamental review of the agreement itself. So, if the principles upon which the agreement is based are sound, as I believe they are, then progress does not require the agreement to be fundamentally renegotiated.
Instead, progress requires that the agreement be developed in light of experience and changing circumstances. This would commit to using the mechanisms provided to address any operational shortcomings as well as any failures to live up to its responsibilities. The former are due to be invoked in the near future, the latter have been provided for by the Joint Declaration.
By the way, my answers to Nigel�s three questions are:
1. How do the SDLP propose to make the present (suspended) devolved institutions functions against the will of a majority of unionists?
The SDLP is not in the business of forcing solutions on anyone.
2. Do the SDLP accept that only a settlement which can command the support of a majority of unionists and nationalist will survive?
Having achieved this result in 1998 and having seen a determined campaign by anti-agreement unionists to undermine the electorate�s wishes, scepticism about the DUP�s interpretation of majority is understandable. However, since no solution can be forced on either community, it follows that a solution must be acceptable to both.
3. Would the SDLP prefer direct rule to a form of devolution which unionists as well as nationalists can support.
Self-evidently �no�.
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
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
