Renegotiate the St Andrews Agreement? No thanks says Sinn Fein. (Too much of a good thing)

Michelle O’Neill said over the weekend:

We are not interested in renegotiating a new deal – we don’t need one. We need the implementation of what has previously been agreed. That’s part of the problem.

The DUP have failed to implement previous agreements, the British government have failed to implement previous agreements and they have pandered to the DUP time and time again and let them away with it.

So no end to the system change they secretly agreed with the DUP and the British by which…

…the First and deputy First Ministers were originally elected by all MLAs, but under a change in the St Andrews Agreement they are now nominated separately by the largest and second largest parties.

Instead, Ms O’Neill has said it would be possible to resolve them within three weeks:

They could be if people came at it with the right attitude,” she said. They could if people showed willingness to actually adhere to the principles of the Good Friday Agreement.

I believe we could find the way forward in three weeks if people approach it with that mind-set. We are not looking to introduce a new agreement, we don’t need to spend weeks and months trying to find a way through a new agreement.

Then comes the usual shopping list of things promised but not delivered. If SF weren’t able to get these matters resolved to their satisfaction in ten years of government, getting any of them done outside government will only come at a price.

To quote Newton again:

Sinn Féin is now running to London again, demanding that changes to the status quo be imposed over the DUP’s head. If such a thing is possible, could the centre parties not agree some proposals of their own?

Otherwise this is the equivalent of periodically grabbing the football and walking off the pitch at every bump in the road. The smaller parties should at the very least make clear what the real issue is here.