Negotiations – Page 20 – Slugger O'Toole

On Jonathan Powell – a vision is needed for talking to terrorists

Brian Walker on October 12, 2014, 1:36 pm

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I haven’t yet managed to read Jonathan Powell’s new book: Talking to Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts”, but potted versions like this one in Prospect magazine delivers his thesis with his usual crispness. “In democracies we cannot kill all the terrorists, so we will have to talk to them at some stage! And just in case you think he has been seduced by his own experience, he anticipates the obvious criticism. I am not suggesting that there is a Northern …

Robinson talks: “Gerry (Adams) will take the decision on what we can go in with…”

Mick Fealty on September 11, 2014, 12:28 pm

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I admit I don’t have a reliable take on what’s going on with these Robinson talks, but I was struck by the incongruity of the concern from a Sinn Fein source who… …indicated that the party was likely to attend any talks but that it would seek to widen the agenda and was wary of Mr Robinson’s stated intention of including smaller parties in the discussions. “Our concern is that Robinson is laying the ground work for bringing in the …

Personal memories of Sunningdale and the UWC strike – the lost opportunity for a generation

Brian Walker on May 22, 2014, 7:10 pm

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Although I couldn’t attend the conferences they’ve sparked off vivid memories. This was a time when not only Northern Ireland seemed ungovernable but Britain too. At the Sunningdale civil service college in Berkshire we in the media were stuck in the conference annex for days because of the difficulty of getting taxis during the three day week, then in full force. TV had to close down at 10 o’clock each night – it was that bad. In spite of the atmosphere of crisis in England hopes …

Call for an Amnesty referendum faces parties and governments with the big decisions

Brian Walker on May 12, 2014, 1:55 pm

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Sir Des Rea the first chair of the Policing Board and Robin Masefield the former head of the Prison Service are people of conscience and great experience. They are no ivory tower observers. Prompted it seems by the risks to stability threatened by the Adams interrogation, in very flat language they make public their fundamental proposal that cuts the Gordian knot of humbug and misplaced principle over the availability of justice . It is what much if not most of the professional establishment …

More than ever, the “crisis” shows the need to face up honestly to the end of Troubles prosecutions

Brian Walker on February 27, 2014, 11:40 am

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Fair enough. There are genuine grounds for shock and anger but there is a good deal of grandstanding too. The pity of it is, the growing recognition among unionists of the case for limited immunity tied to truth recovery will be set back. Taking the optimistic view (somebody has to), the full extent of de facto amnesty will emerge a lot more clearly and can no longer be denied. The pretence should end, that “ justice” is attainable were it …

Ian Paisley: a word in favour of a fading patriarch

Brian Walker on January 21, 2014, 2:22 pm

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Eamonn Mallie has always preferred the bludgeon to the rapier. In Episode One he confronted Ian Paisley with some the most unsavoury quotes of an agitator’s past. Did you really mean it, Mr Paisley? In episode two he faced him with other people’s hesitant mutterings of rejection. How did you feel Mr Paisley? What did he expect the old man to say? Repudiate the past in the first case and turn the other cheek in the second? That is not the Old …

Haass’s challenge to Stormont’s consociational security system doomed to fail…

Mick Fealty on January 15, 2014, 2:09 pm

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Confused? You will be. Yesterday’s debate about an agreement that was never reached ended in a narrow vote against Haass. Two odd things about that vote. One, the leaders of the two major parties were still to have their post Haass talks. Two, a vote against would not have amounted in any concrete statutory terms to a hill of beans. Why? Because pretty much all decisions have to be agreed by the tribal chiefs (or tribunes as they have been …

Meghan O’Sullivan: “how do we make it possible for the others to deliver on the agreement? . . . I don’t know if there was enough of that in the room this time.”

Pete Baker on January 11, 2014, 4:58 pm

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Whilst the Northern Ireland media continue to obsess over digest the parting shot from Richard Haass on the political parties’ failure to agree to his proposals (version 7), the co-chair of those talks, Meghan O’Sullivan, appears to have been delegated the task of addressing the media south of the border. [Partitionists! – Ed] ANYhoo.. In the Irish Times, Dan Keenan’s report includes what is, perhaps, the most revealing comment on the failure to agree. The final draft was written by herself and …

Arkiv: “in the real world pre-existing themes will skew the integrity of investigation, putting ideology before history”

Pete Baker on January 6, 2014, 2:45 pm

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In an early critique of the Haass proposals (version 7), Brian identified, as a potential problem, the “role [] envisaged for academics and experts especially historians”. A great role is envisaged for academics and experts especially historians, reporting to an Implementation and Reconciliation Group of political nominees . However the academics are naively treated as an on tap resource to be tasked like school pupils for a project . These proposals would need to be redrawn for any hope of implementation. [added emphasis] The Arkiv …

Haass – Larkin unrepentant, Allister is on the attack, but where oh where is the DUP critique?

Brian Walker on January 3, 2014, 5:47 pm

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Now hold on, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet. Inevitably most early reaction to Haaas is about the overall political verdict without going much into detail. And you know how we can’t be bothered to go into detail if we can stick it into them instead. But hush! Jim Allister QC has spoken. People tend to overawed by Jim’s legal expertise. But lawyers are advocates – even when they’re not self -interested politicians – and so should be taken with …

There are grounds for hope in the Haass document, even the outline of modest solutions

Brian Walker on January 1, 2014, 4:17 pm

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Here’s an early critique without benefit of interpretation. From the language of the paper it’s more difficult than I thought to spot the precise causes of breakdown. That awaits the parties’ own accounts which hopefully will be better than spin. It’s quite true that there’s a great deal in it that can usefully be worked on. It creates its own pressure. The parties and the governments ought not to be able to let it gather dust. Early indications are mildly encouraging. …

Haass had basic flaws. It’s time for the two governments to step up to the plate

Brian Walker on December 31, 2013, 4:29 pm

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It was in its way encouraging that the Assembly parties themselves launched the Haass process but they seem to have bitten off more than they could chew. They appear to have gone into the high pressure phase without clear ideas of how to reach goals other than muddling through. So far we haven’t heard of any back channels or talks on the margin where so often deals get done, or arm twisting from big brothers or sisters. Pressured negotiations worked before, on Good Friday and at St Andrews, …

Despite the Haass setback we are not the prisoners of the past but masters of our own fate

Brian Walker on December 31, 2013, 10:22 am

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The issues of the Haass process are only the tip of the iceberg. Indeed it might be said that the talks were unlikely to succeed without rigorous challenge and examination of the beliefs and assumptions the parties brought to the table. Behind the tortuous details of flags, parades and the past are the competing narratives which need to be challenged and explored before we can reach the point of agreement of how to live with them. Beyond the groves of …

“The parties were told not to bring in any phones or other communication devices, nor to leave with any copies of the draft.”

Pete Baker on December 16, 2013, 11:48 pm

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Richard Haass’ attempt to ensure confidentiality during the on-going talks between the five Northern Ireland Executive parties – on the past, parades, and flags – failed to survive first contact with Sinn Féin. Today the Haass team presented their first, complete, draft proposals to the parties. The BBC report notes his latest attempt at ensuring confidentiality. While the parties examined the proposals at Stormont, talks chairman Dr Haass had travelled to London to meet the Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers and …

Northern Ireland reflections on the “real” Mandela, man and myth

Brian Walker on December 11, 2013, 12:21 pm

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Hooray. There is still a role for newspapers. The Guardian proves it with their balancing coverage of the early obsequies for Nelson Mandela who it might be thought is one of their natural heroes. Restoring a human dimension after the hours of adulation and longueurs of 24/7 TV news is Simon Jenkins’ column and the obit by David Beresford, a brilliant South African born reporter and a former Ireland correspondent for the paper who was sadly ill for years. His …

White vans of Sri Lanka, and the lessons of failing to make political agreements stick…

Mick Fealty on November 14, 2013, 9:06 am

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Leena Manimekalai, director of White Van Stories talked the Jon Snow last night about the full scale abductions currently ongoing in Sri Lanka, despite a much lauded ‘peace process’… Of the film she notes, the social instability it gives rise to “there is so much of hope, [in spite] of despair, there’s waiting, and there is apathy, there’s everything, you know.” Unlike our own cases of The Disappeared this is both the norm (rather than a cover for access or …

A brave new orthodoxy. Whatever you say, say nothing.

Brian Walker on September 7, 2013, 12:22 am

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Eamonn McCann’s class war may be a touch whiskery these days but it still helps him punch a big hole in one of our brave new orthodoxies. A little while ago, a friend attended a session of non-sectarian training sponsored by her employer. Each must respect the “culture” of the other side, it was explained. For example, the Orange Order was an expression of the identity of the Protestant community: to disrespect the order was to disrespect Protestants. My friend …

Haass “asked the parties for confidentiality and to put forward their best team of negotiators…”

Pete Baker on September 4, 2013, 6:42 pm

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The BBC reports that “it has emerged” Richard Haass has written to the Northern Ireland Executive parties ahead of the up-coming talks on parades, and other matters. Dr Haass, who is due to chair talks later this month, sent the letter after his mid-July visit to Belfast. He asked the parties for confidentiality and to put forward their best team of negotiators. Dr Haass also requested the parties answer a series of questions around the issues. The negotiations are to …

Robinson U turn shows the urgent need for mediation

Brian Walker on August 18, 2013, 12:18 pm

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They must have put up Chinese walls inside Stormont Castle since I was there last. The sudden collapse of Peter Robinson’s position over the Maze peace centre strongly suggests that the joint leaders haven’t even managed to have frank exchanges about the past, much less wrestled with how actually to deal with it. But the bigger problem stretches down the hill to streets below. DUP electoral dominance has been again exposed as offering no protection against unionist fragmentation and a stampede …

Trimble on Trimble: “Adams and McGuinness were deciding that they would prefer to have Paisley and Robinson as their interlocutors…”

Mick Fealty on August 6, 2013, 11:23 am

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If you can, it’s worth listening to BBC Radio Four’s Archive on 4 extended interview with David Trimble. But it is particularly worth listening to the last ten minutes or so, in which he provides an important analysis of how he was dispatched to the boundary by some neat footwork by the Sinn Fein days before the November 2003 Assembly election was to be called. He talks about what he had thought was a shared understanding that the IICD “had …