Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
At one point during the Assembly proceedings today, the SDLP leader Mark Durkan suggested it was the BBC 'wot done it'. Not me, but the fact that "Question Time" is being broadcast from Northern Ireland on December 4th. Mr Durkan reckoned this had embarrassed the DUP and Sinn Fein into doing a deal.
Influential though ""Question Time" is, I'm not entirely convinced by this argument. Maybe it was just combat fatigue, as both republicans and unionists got tired off hearing us hacks running out of synonyms for the word "gridlock".
Tomorrow Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are expected to give the Assembly Executive and Review Committee a joint letter, with a fairly hefty annex. The way forward will involve the election of a future justice minister by cross community support.The DUP say they haven't agreed a definite date for devolving justice. But republicans will point to 6 or 7 action areas for future legislation designed to culminate around April of next year.
On Thursday the Executive is expected to meet, focussing on the economic downturn (including, potentially, what can be done for the construction industry and ideas to tackle the problem of fuel poverty).
Besides justice other elements of the package are thought to include a minority languages protocol ( instead of an Irish Language Act), parking the Maze stadium proposal and finding other ways to fund a Conflict Resolution Centre at the Maze (probably through European money).
Some sources suggest there could be a "review" of the academic selection controversy. Other policies - such as the future regulation of rural planning - stand ready to be approved.
So a lot of movement in a short time. After the first meeting on Thursday, though, Executive ministers will have to work hard to overcome the public antipathy which they have allowed to build over recent months.
P.S. Another source tells me that the educational element is not a review of the transfer procedure, but rather the unfreezing of legislation on the creation of an Education and Skills Authority. What's likely to be unveiled tomorrow will deal with the devolution of justice - the other elements may follow as officials are freed up to move them forward.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~57~RS~)
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Deals done, wordings agreed and now they will want to meet so they can look like they are meaningful politicians.
Then there is the Alliance Party and at the first opportunity they take their 30 pieces of silver.
This system stinks and the sooner the electorate realise it the better.
What is the alternative...London Rule looks like a very appealling prospect right now.
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From that comment bushmill_1608 would appear to be a daily pastime rather than just a username.
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Mark,
Treat with caution. I have heard so many empty promises that I will not believe the Executive is meeting until all ministers are in Stormont Castle, at the table and talking to each other in a civilised way. Until that happens the executive has not met. On the news tonight your colleague Martina mentions that she seen a memo to indicate that the executive will meet to discuss the economy and other difficult issues. Where did she get this?
I hope that the executive does meet as the vacuum that has been created will disappear hopefully with Jim Allister.
Stormontspy
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StormontSpy,
It seems that Jim Allister knows what the DUP intend to do before they do.
I'm quite sure the electorate will have noted his Press Release warning from the 14th.
The DUP conceding on the 11-plus is the most humiliating embarrassment imaginable after the St Andrews Agreement
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Will those executive members that were part of the problem hand back in part money given to do handle the executive work that they passed up for months?
There are many good charities needing money this time of year; it is probably the only way to earn back that reputation by giving - otherwise they just appear as parasites feeding of the state or perhaps - bizarrely - a not so failed state-let.
The balance between elite members of SF and DUP against that of individual members of the public was dealt a blow, with two-fingers being shown for months on end to satisfy demands of a cluster of people holding power in both parties.
Make your own minds up as to whether these people are on your side or the side of abusing power for party political interests to satisfy the desires of a very select few.
Stuff consociationalism - give me collectivism any day, it's far more honourable if still somewhat dated; but consociationalism is rule for the egotistical by the egotistical.
It must end - sooner than SF-DUP want it to.
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I'm afraid that putting the NIO front party (per Brian Feeney) into government with their only 5% of the popular vote surely disrupts the whole basis of d'honte.
The next choice of executive seat was to go to the SDLP, what have they been offered to go away with their muzzels firmly on?
While I am not one of their supporters it would not matter to me which of the four government parties were due the next seat, Alliance have only support in n.Down and s. Antrim, in my own constituency they came in behind Paul Berry, does this mean since they enjoy such limited appeal we can ignore the policies they put forward, as the others have done with the electorate/taxpayers?
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WELL DONE GERRY AND THE ONE MUGGINS LEADING THE TRIBE OF MUGS IN THE DUP…
Now we have it, or rather Sinn Fein have it. Policing and Justice is to be devolved, sooner rather than later. Public confidence like the Tardis has suddenly materialised to provide the DUP with the necessary credibility to give in to Sinn Fein’s demands. Great precedent has been established at the Assembly by tactics of the Sinn Fein President. The next time and the time after that, the minority wish to force through their policies upon the majority (The Irish Language Act), it will only be necessary to threaten to withdraw from holding Executive meetings.
Of course the First Minister, Mr Robinson, will immediately be providing all order of fictitious statistics, polls, statements and the like to advise his constituents and the wider unionist community that they, all along, had the confidence and desire to see Policing and Justice devolved, but they hadn’t realised it until Mr Robinson told them. The sadness of this is the idolaters in the DUP will believe this recipe of baloney.
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While I don't agree at all with the tactics that were used during this five month long debacle, the devolution of policing and justice was something that was supposed to have been agreed upon by the parties, until the DUP wheedled out of it.
As for what you were saying Pan-dora, while I generally agree with the jist of what you were saying, I have to disagree with "minority wish to force through their policies upon the majority" and inferring the Irish Language Act. The Saint Andrew's Agreement states that the "Government will introduce an Irish Language Act reflecting on the experience of Wales and Ireland and work with the incoming Executive to enhance and protect the development of the Irish Language". This was again agreed upon until reneged. A person's choice or ability to speak a language and their freedom to do so isn't something that should ever have been politicised. This should not be seen as offensive but rather as something to be proud of. Not a political victory by any one party but perhaps more a sign that people could get past tribal differences of the past.
But yeah, there is nothing to prevent some executive party in the future taking the hump again and causing any political progress to halt. I'm not sure what can be done about it either...
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voluntary coalition?
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Who would be in this voluntary coalition? How would it work? Would DUP, SDLP, Sinn Fein and UUP all be present?
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of course they would all be in the assembly
All is needed is a quota of parties MLA's to join together in a coalition, and then the remaining parties/MLA's to be on the opposition benches
just like everyother proper democracy.
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make a 55% threshold for a voluntary coalition to be formed. then go to the electorate. if two, or more, parties can reach that mark, then voluntary coalition. if not, maintain d'hondt. apply this to each assembly term, therefore allowing for voluntary coalition, and proper opposition, and if it's not possible, mandatory coalition is the back-up plan. probably too much like common sense though
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Comment No. 8: patrick_78
My comment (No. 7)
THE “north OF IRELAND” LANGUAGE ACT
I point out that I posted a comment not a dissertation! My purpose was to stimulate thoughtful debate which you have now engaged upon. So I précis my dissertation as follows:
1. Yes, I am aware of the contents of St Andrews Agreement. My understanding is that the British Government has now rejected the commitment to introduce an Irish Language Act (ILA) on the grounds that it is cost prohibitive. On the other hand, I believe Jeffrey Donaldson stated on The Politics Show that it was the DUP who managed to stop the introduction of an Irish Language Act in the House of Commons. The DUP does not have an MP representing the constituency in which I have a vote, therefore they do not represent me, or necessarily my views. As to my specific view on an ILA it is irrelevant.
2. With regard to my usage of “the minority” and “the majority”, I would have been more correct to use “a minority” and “a majority”. I did not intend to imply the definite article from what you infer, incorrectly, to be a sectarian connotation.
3. Policing and Justice: It was Peter Robinson who stated on a number of occasions, there was no confidence in the community for devolution of Policing and Justice. It was my assertion from various news reports that accommodation had been reached with Sinn Fein on the issue. If so, then Mr Robinson will need to explain why suddenly there is now confidence in the community. Both these points are based on Mr Robinson’s rhetoric – neither substantiated with proof by him. We will just have to wait and see after Christmas when we may discover that the Leader of the Alliance Party is willing to allow his name to go forward for the portfolio, along with others.
Pandora
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HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
Dear Mark
It is not for me to accuse you of being a "lazy journalist", (you will remember that phrase), but as an early Christmas present to me, might you consider changing Xmas to Christmas on the title of your blog entry above?
Thank you.
Pandora
xx
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Hi Pandora,
I'm not disagreeing with you at all, just presenting another part of the debate. Both the Sinn Fein and DUP parties appear very happy to play petty tribal politics ad infinitum. They are both very quick to politicise issues for their own ends, and neither are remotely comfortable enough to try to take the high ground on contentious issues eg Irish Language Act, RIR parade, etc.
Meanwhile I find the lack of constructive moves being made by SDLP, Alliance and UUP to be disappointing. What about the Question Time show last night? As someone in the audience said, both Jim Allister and Nigel Dodds were carrying on like Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statler_and_Waldorf :) ) and presenting a very poor image, giving external investors little reason to come here, yet meanwhile there was no counter to them. These politicians hogged the limelight because there wasn't a sensible political voice to deliver a knock-out punch to their rhetoric, someone here with the political eloquence of Barack Obama...
PS ditto on the usage of "Christmas" please Mark! :)
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NO CONSTRUCTIVE OPPOSITION
Thank you Patrick. The fundamental problem always remains that there is no constructive opposition so the parties always flap about, trying to score political points. It is neither one thing nor another.
And yes, I agree with you on Let's Talk last night. I switched the programme off half-way through as I got weary listening and watching the same old, same old nonsense.
Pandora
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YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP - JUST A MAKE-OVER...
Included in your piece (above) ..."parking the Maze stadium proposal and finding other ways to fund a Conflict Resolution Centre at the Maze", we now know where additional funding is coming from...
It's interesting to see the revised proposals for the former Long Kesh prison site. A new Conflict Resolution Centre to be partly financed by the US Government.
The Americans already have one of these centres; it is called Guantanamo Bay. President Elect Obama, when he takes office, is intending to close it down. Is it also his intention to move the facility along with its state-of-the-art psychological water-boarding unit from US soil, transporting it on to British territory at the Maze site? Now we know what is meant by 'change'. It's only a change of address!
I rather like the Belfast Telegraph's turn of phrase (10.11.08)..."talks held with potential investors". I suppose it is one novel way of turning around the credit crunch - the new spectator sport of water-boarding!
After Christmas, watch out for the job advertisement for not one, but four Directors of Operations, commanding salaries of £65,000 (plus 3.5% pending) with the attractive package to include expenses and housing allowances.
The usual suspects are already queuing for interviews at the gates of Stormont. Unconfirmed reports have it that Balderdice and Father Bradley were seen chatting to Maria Gatland at the front of the queue and holding a place for the out-of-work Bertie.
And you could not make it up without help from prats Pete and Marty.
Pandora
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