“that’s what our party position would be..”

Following David Cameron’s campaign trail commitment on ending the double-jobbing of MPs/MLAs, and the DUP’s Peter Robinson’s elaboration on what DUP MPs will do, the Irish News today had more on the responses of interested parties. According to the DUP spokesman in the report [subs req] – “Over a three-year window, the DUP will phase out multiple mandates.” The SDLP’s Mark Durkan is reported as stating – “If I stand in the next Westminster election, I will be standing on the basis that I am not a continuing MLA, that’s what our party position would be.” [Adds NBNW has a longer version of the quote.] Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy, MP, MLA, was more circumspect – “Sinn Féin are working to end dual mandates. It is impossible for anyone sitting in the executive or assembly to attend the British House of Commons on the same day. Our MPs don’t of course attend sittings of the British House of Commons. So our attendance at the executive or assembly does not present us with a problem.” Not that not attending has prevented each of those Sinn Féin MPs from claiming £21,600 from the MP’s second home allowance in 2008/9 alone. And then there’s the other dual mandate..

Pete Baker