The Governments’ decision to present the DUP and SF with their proposals for a ‘deal’ is a tacit admission that those two parties, by themselves, cannot provide a way forward for the political process. And yet we are still facing a situation in which SF and the DUP are being placed in a position to decide just that. The headlines may say ‘NI parties hear plans for deal’, but the reality is that only two parties are being asked and those two parties represent less than 50% of the electorate.Both parties blame each other and SF’s Gerry Adams has already launched his party’s campaign for an unconstitutional joint-authority to be imposed when, not if, no agreement is forthcoming. So forget about the BBC’s over-hyped ‘solution’ from yesterday – it won’t fly.
Just as the same exclusive SF-UUP dialogue last September, which was face-to-face, collapsed in the teeth of electoral considerations by those two parties, so will this.
And as we trudge towards more elections next year expect more of the same hype, demands, refusals and blame – déja vu all over again.
You know, there is more than one common link throughout this – see if you can spot them.