No SF Justice Minister for "a generation"?
Back in 2006 Nigel Dodds caused a few ripples when he talked about it taking "a political lifetime" before unionist confidence for devolving policing and justice could be built. By contrast, today Peter Robinson told barristers gathered at the Waterfront Hall that he was "not gloomy" about the prospects for progress in his talks on the issue with Martin McGuinness. He added that devolving justice would "benefit" people here.
However the DUP leader said there "are real and particular sensitivities about who will be the policing and justice minister". Obviously he means that his party isn't ready to see a Sinn Fein politician in that role.
And in an echo of Nigel Dodds' "political lifetime" comment Mr Robinson went on "do we wait, potentially for years, perhaps for a generation until the necessary level of support is reached for such options to gain widespread public confidence? Or do we search for another basis that may be able to command confidence in the community?"
"Another basis"? I suppose that could mean SDLP or Ulster Unionist justice ministers. But do Sinn Fein or the DUP want to hand plum jobs to their direct political rivals? The DUP favour a single department to handle policing and justice. Given the choice, I think they'd favour a single minister as well.
Which brings us back to last week's entry An Alliance Justice Minister? What's clear is that the DUP don't want to hand Jim Allister another stick to beat them, by giving Gerry Kelly any kind of authority over the judiciary. They know that if they veto a republican they cannot expect to avoid a matching veto on their own potential candidates.
Of course we have been around this track before. In December 2006 Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly appeared on "Inside Politics" and told me his party "would not collude" in its own exclusion from a policing and justice department. But that was two years ago, so can the two parties crack this one in the intensified discussions promised over the summer?
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I think that an MLA from all of the parties in the Assembly should form a committee to deal with Policing and Justice. Therefore instead of one party using their mandate all parties have an equal say. This will go to address terrorism, anti social behaviour, crime and speeding. Just hope the maverick isn't about!!!!
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Is anyone really surprised that the DUP are set to prove yet again that they are liars?
"political lifetime". I say to the DUP, lets hear you say it again. If you don't you are proving that yet again your word is worth nothing and when you say things you really don't mean them. You only say them at the time to try and cling on to what is left of your support.
You can only get away with trying to trick and mislead your voters for a certain time though, then you will feel their rath at the next election.
People dont like being lied to or misleaded
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