Gregory Campbell speaking at the same conference that Hain was addressing at the weekend, replies to the accusation his party is somehow running from devolution, laying out what his party still requires from Sinn Fein before going into government:
– Total decommissioning,
– a complete end to paramilitary activity,
– a complete end to criminal activity,
– and an acceptance of and support for the rule of law.
None of this is beyond the realms of possibility, though it has to be asked just how the DUP would have the IRA prove beyond it September 2005 act of decommissioning that it hasn’t retained some relatively small number of weapons for its own (unstated) ends. Otherwise, the choice is largely Sinn Fein’s, since it now appears to be senior partner in the relationship with the IRA.
Then he goes on to outline what his party wants from the government, presumeably to help it sell its deal to its own, (and the UUP’s) constituency:
– Changes to the institutions,
– delivery of equality measures for the unionist community,
– and a financial package to assist the return of devolution.
One could be forgiven for suspecting that this is as much about playing Supermarket Sweep as it is the Weakest Link.
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