Stormont Assembly Elections 2017

[seafoid]

Is this not a problem with the GFA? One party throws its toys ouf the pram and everything held up. In other jurisdictions the
other parties would work something out. 

[Owen Brannigan]

Is this not a problem with the GFA? One party throws its toys ouf the pram and everything held up. In other jurisdictions the
other parties would work something out.

+1

[Keyser soze]

The unionists would want another election because they didn't like the last result,could sinn fein have the power to stop another election?or would they have to participate again.Sinn fein  went to the electorate previously stating they wouldn't go back in government until foster stepped aside until inquiry finished,the mandate they received endorsed this so they couldn't compromise on this surely.

Not the reason they gave for their walkout.  Claiming it was legacy, iLA, Bill of Rights and Equal Marriage.  Equal marriage is the business of the whole Assembly and not just SF or DUP; Bills of Rights and Legacy is a matter to be resolved at UK government level and SF previously agreed that the ILA was the remit of the UK government.  So SF is hold everyone to ransom while it attempts to deal with the UK government and blames the DUP.  If SF had managed to achieve binding agreements on any of these issues it claims to have sorted in the past then the courts is the route to dealing with it.

They never even got to the stage of Foster being nominated as a reason to walkout.

SF failed to read the situation put on a plate for them.  You don't think Clinton came to the funeral on their invite? He was there because the Irish government provided a state funeral for them and turned up all the players they could manage bar Blair: presidents Clinton, McAleese & Higgins, Taoisigh Kenny & Aherne.  Adams has overplayed his hand and when the finance begins to crunch on the ordinary people he will hear about it.  The welfare easement on the UK reforms will not continue after 1st April, bedroom tax will apply, jobs will be lost in the NICVA sectors, education and health because no budget is available and civil servants will pay out minimum levels within a percentage of last years amounts. Local councils will be squeezed because their rates income is unknown and not collected.  The victims of historical abuse will be left to fade away and the report will not be acted on.

They did not listen to the voices across the country about victims and have failed to include all victims in their 'search for truth'.  Only a full process looking for truth of all victims of state, IRA, Loyalists will be enough for the majority of people.

What a load of nonsense.

[haranguerer]

The unionists would want another election because they didn't like the last result,could sinn fein have the power to stop another election?or would they have to participate again.Sinn fein  went to the electorate previously stating they wouldn't go back in government until foster stepped aside until inquiry finished,the mandate they received endorsed this so they couldn't compromise on this surely.

Not the reason they gave for their walkout.  Claiming it was legacy, iLA, Bill of Rights and Equal Marriage.  Equal marriage is the business of the whole Assembly and not just SF or DUP; Bills of Rights and Legacy is a matter to be resolved at UK government level and SF previously agreed that the ILA was the remit of the UK government.  So SF is hold everyone to ransom while it attempts to deal with the UK government and blames the DUP.  If SF had managed to achieve binding agreements on any of these issues it claims to have sorted in the past then the courts is the route to dealing with it.

They never even got to the stage of Foster being nominated as a reason to walkout.

SF failed to read the situation put on a plate for them.  You don't think Clinton came to the funeral on their invite? He was there because the Irish government provided a state funeral for them and turned up all the players they could manage bar Blair: presidents Clinton, McAleese & Higgins, Taoisigh Kenny & Aherne.  Adams has overplayed his hand and when the finance begins to crunch on the ordinary people he will hear about it.  The welfare easement on the UK reforms will not continue after 1st April, bedroom tax will apply, jobs will be lost in the NICVA sectors, education and health because no budget is available and civil servants will pay out minimum levels within a percentage of last years amounts. Local councils will be squeezed because their rates income is unknown and not collected.  The victims of historical abuse will be left to fade away and the report will not be acted on.

They did not listen to the voices across the country about victims and have failed to include all victims in their 'search for truth'.  Only a full process looking for truth of all victims of state, IRA, Loyalists will be enough for the majority of people.

What a load of nonsense.

Absolute nonsense Owen, embarrassing in fact.

Out of interest, what do you think they should be negotiating on/settling for?

[Applesisapples]

SF garnered a resurgent nationalist vote by standing up to the DUP's arrogance and intrangience on a number of issue, language, Irish Identity and a deal to put legacy issues to bed that is not one sided in approach, i.e. natioanlists and republicans caused all the hurt. This idea of redundancies etc is a bullshit mechanism to put pressure on parties to get on with an executive and try and sort the other stuff out on the side. That hasn't worked before, the DUP pocketed all the gooodies and refused to accept what they didn't like. We have had our fair share of poor SOSNI's in the past, but none so biased and pro DUP as Brokenshire. Whilst some people might get frustrated by a lack of return to Stormont, SF cannot do so with out agreement from Unionists on equality. The looming catholic majority should be focusing their minds to do a deal now, but instead they are circling the waggons. What scares Unionists more a NI that is run by a nationalist majority or a UI?

[Milltown Row2]

What will be the cost to the tax payer on the Irish language act? To implement it, run it and oversee it? and what will it entail exactly?

[johnneycool]

We must remember that one of SF's slogans at the polls last time was "No return to the status quo".  Reading between the lines of what Naomi Long, Nichola Mallon and Colum Eastwood said over the weekend, that seemed to be what was on offer from the DUP.

DUP are saying that the Shinners issues are with the British government rather than them and there's probably a bit of truth in that as Brokenshire doesn't seem to want to stump up for the legacy legal fees and that's not a bit surprising with what he said pre election on the matter. He's a little Englander and needs booted out the door.

I don't think the Shinners ever got to the DUP on the RHI scandal...

[naka]

We must remember that one of SF's slogans at the polls last time was "No return to the status quo".  Reading between the lines of what Naomi Long, Nichola Mallon and Colum Eastwood said over the weekend, that seemed to be what was on offer from the DUP.

DUP are saying that the Shinners issues are with the British government rather than them and there's probably a bit of truth in that as Brokenshire doesn't seem to want to stump up for the legacy legal fees and that's not a bit surprising with what he said pre election on the matter. He's a little Englander and needs booted out the door.



tbf I think that is the issue, but I really can`t see given the cuts across the board that the british will allocate funding for  a legacy commission.

I also think the dup will want another election to strengthen their hand.


I don't think the Shinners ever got to the DUP on the RHI scandal...

[screenexile]

The DUP want another election pronto... they'll not be complacent this time and mobilise their vote and the Nationalists who were outraged enough about the crocodile comment to vote Sinn Fein for a change won't do so again and the DUP will get their seats back from the UUP.

Not that it'll matter SF and DUP will still have to work together at some stage and the RHI verdict doesn't look like it's forthcoming anytime soon. We all know what it will say anyway "Foster was not guilty of anything in particular but was negligent in that she should have known what was happening"

[Franko]

The DUP want another election pronto... they'll not be complacent this time and mobilise their vote and the Nationalists who were outraged enough about the crocodile comment to vote Sinn Fein for a change won't do so again and the DUP will get their seats back from the UUP.

Not that it'll matter SF and DUP will still have to work together at some stage and the RHI verdict doesn't look like it's forthcoming anytime soon. We all know what it will say anyway "Foster was not guilty of anything in particular but was negligent in that she should have known what was happening"

It'll matter if the DUP get 30 seats.  Back to playing the POC again.  The status quo returns.

[Owen Brannigan]

The unionists would want another election because they didn't like the last result,could sinn fein have the power to stop another election?or would they have to participate again.Sinn fein  went to the electorate previously stating they wouldn't go back in government until foster stepped aside until inquiry finished,the mandate they received endorsed this so they couldn't compromise on this surely.

Not the reason they gave for their walkout.  Claiming it was legacy, iLA, Bill of Rights and Equal Marriage.  Equal marriage is the business of the whole Assembly and not just SF or DUP; Bills of Rights and Legacy is a matter to be resolved at UK government level and SF previously agreed that the ILA was the remit of the UK government.  So SF is hold everyone to ransom while it attempts to deal with the UK government and blames the DUP.  If SF had managed to achieve binding agreements on any of these issues it claims to have sorted in the past then the courts is the route to dealing with it.

They never even got to the stage of Foster being nominated as a reason to walkout.

SF failed to read the situation put on a plate for them.  You don't think Clinton came to the funeral on their invite? He was there because the Irish government provided a state funeral for them and turned up all the players they could manage bar Blair: presidents Clinton, McAleese & Higgins, Taoisigh Kenny & Aherne.  Adams has overplayed his hand and when the finance begins to crunch on the ordinary people he will hear about it.  The welfare easement on the UK reforms will not continue after 1st April, bedroom tax will apply, jobs will be lost in the NICVA sectors, education and health because no budget is available and civil servants will pay out minimum levels within a percentage of last years amounts. Local councils will be squeezed because their rates income is unknown and not collected.  The victims of historical abuse will be left to fade away and the report will not be acted on.

They did not listen to the voices across the country about victims and have failed to include all victims in their 'search for truth'.  Only a full process looking for truth of all victims of state, IRA, Loyalists will be enough for the majority of people.

What a load of nonsense.

Absolute nonsense Owen, embarrassing in fact.

Out of interest, what do you think they should be negotiating on/settling for?

The history of deals involving DUP and SF over the last 10 years has been fudge after fudge, everyone a sticking plaster.  They were all poor deals that were not clearly defined and all allowed them to proceed along the road to govern again until the next time.  If the deals were good then either side could be held to the terms of the deal but that has not been the case.

SF has declared legacy, bill of rights, equal marriage and ILA as their issues. 

Equal marriage is a matter for the Assembly as a whole to deal with so there is no need to have any negotiation on it unless the POC is the real issue but no one is saying so. 

The ILA was agreed by SF in the St Andrew's agreement with the British Government so negotiate with them on it or try to bring it in to the Assembly by convincing others apart from DUP to go along and there are enough to do so.

Bill of Rights is complicated by EU issues.  Currently we are all covered by the comprehensive bill of rights through the European Court of Justice.  A separate bill for N.ireland is not a priority.

Legacy was agreed in the Fresh Start agreement hailed by SF as the way forward and as another poor agreement the wriggle room it provided allowed others to have their own interpretation on responsibilities.  So, go back and sort it out with another sticking plaster or bring forward a comprehensive approach from an International body which will look at every death and pay an immediate pension to victims before any more of them die. Again this is an issue with the British government who hold the purse strings.

SF and DUP do not like each other and there is mutual disrespect.  Time to get over it, accept it and govern the country if you want the GFA as the constitutional method of government. 

Much has been made of Martin McGuinness and his actions in reaching out to the unionist community and he is right to be praised but he was out there on his own, not another colleague of his made any consistent effort to follow him in his actions.

[Applesisapples]

The unionists would want another election because they didn't like the last result,could sinn fein have the power to stop another election?or would they have to participate again.Sinn fein  went to the electorate previously stating they wouldn't go back in government until foster stepped aside until inquiry finished,the mandate they received endorsed this so they couldn't compromise on this surely.

Not the reason they gave for their walkout.  Claiming it was legacy, iLA, Bill of Rights and Equal Marriage.  Equal marriage is the business of the whole Assembly and not just SF or DUP; Bills of Rights and Legacy is a matter to be resolved at UK government level and SF previously agreed that the ILA was the remit of the UK government.  So SF is hold everyone to ransom while it attempts to deal with the UK government and blames the DUP.  If SF had managed to achieve binding agreements on any of these issues it claims to have sorted in the past then the courts is the route to dealing with it.

They never even got to the stage of Foster being nominated as a reason to walkout.

SF failed to read the situation put on a plate for them.  You don't think Clinton came to the funeral on their invite? He was there because the Irish government provided a state funeral for them and turned up all the players they could manage bar Blair: presidents Clinton, McAleese & Higgins, Taoisigh Kenny & Aherne.  Adams has overplayed his hand and when the finance begins to crunch on the ordinary people he will hear about it.  The welfare easement on the UK reforms will not continue after 1st April, bedroom tax will apply, jobs will be lost in the NICVA sectors, education and health because no budget is available and civil servants will pay out minimum levels within a percentage of last years amounts. Local councils will be squeezed because their rates income is unknown and not collected.  The victims of historical abuse will be left to fade away and the report will not be acted on.

They did not listen to the voices across the country about victims and have failed to include all victims in their 'search for truth'.  Only a full process looking for truth of all victims of state, IRA, Loyalists will be enough for the majority of people.

What a load of nonsense.

Absolute nonsense Owen, embarrassing in fact.

Out of interest, what do you think they should be negotiating on/settling for?

The history of deals involving DUP and SF over the last 10 years has been fudge after fudge, everyone a sticking plaster.  They were all poor deals that were not clearly defined and all allowed them to proceed along the road to govern again until the next time.  If the deals were good then either side could be held to the terms of the deal but that has not been the case.

SF has declared legacy, bill of rights, equal marriage and ILA as their issues. 

Equal marriage is a matter for the Assembly as a whole to deal with so there is no need to have any negotiation on it unless the POC is the real issue but no one is saying so. 

The ILA was agreed by SF in the St Andrew's agreement with the British Government so negotiate with them on it or try to bring it in to the Assembly by convincing others apart from DUP to go along and there are enough to do so.

Bill of Rights is complicated by EU issues.  Currently we are all covered by the comprehensive bill of rights through the European Court of Justice.  A separate bill for N.ireland is not a priority.

Legacy was agreed in the Fresh Start agreement hailed by SF as the way forward and as another poor agreement the wriggle room it provided allowed others to have their own interpretation on responsibilities.  So, go back and sort it out with another sticking plaster or bring forward a comprehensive approach from an International body which will look at every death and pay an immediate pension to victims before any more of them die. Again this is an issue with the British government who hold the purse strings.

SF and DUP do not like each other and there is mutual disrespect.  Time to get over it, accept it and govern the country if you want the GFA as the constitutional method of government. 

Much has been made of Martin McGuinness and his actions in reaching out to the unionist community and he is right to be praised but he was out there on his own, not another colleague of his made any consistent effort to follow him in his actions.

As opposed to the large number of unionists reaching out to the nationalist community?

[Owen Brannigan]

Much has been made of Martin McGuinness and his actions in reaching out to the unionist community and he is right to be praised but he was out there on his own, not another colleague of his made any consistent effort to follow him in his actions.

As opposed to the large number of unionists reaching out to the nationalist community?

That's were leadership comes in.  McGuinness was first and foremost a great leader in everything he did.  Like all good leaders he was willing to take risks and to make the first move or a brave move even if it doesn't initially succeed or pay off. Hence, Paisley was also a good leader and took his step forward.  Foster is not a leader, she wants to hunker down and dig in, hold on to what she thinks is hers and to refuse to give an inch, she goes for the lowest common denominator every time.


If you always wait for the other side to do something you get nowhere.  Not only should our politicians be reaching out but it is incumbent on all of us to make some effort to reach out rather than give out all the time about themuns. As Clinton said we should expand Us and reduce Them.

[Man Marker]

Not one bit surprised by this, SF said before the election that the Status Quo would not return, that meant serious work from the British/Irish government and the DUP with SF, it never happened, they are delivering on their election promise. If you voted for SF, they are delivering on their election promises.

[haranguerer]

If you always wait for the other side to do something you get nowhere.  Not only should our politicians be reaching out but it is incumbent on all of us to make some effort to reach out rather than give out all the time about themuns. As Clinton said we should expand Us and reduce Them.

You're acknowledging SF have continually made un-reciprocated effort, and seem to be slating them for not continuing to do so. Surely you can see there comes a point where you have to stand up for your own mandate?

Re the iLA - you're not so stupid as to have actually bought that little line from the DUP, so you know thats rubbish

Re the bill of rights - not a priority for whom? When will it be dealt with? What are negotiations for?

Re equal marriage - what does 'an issue for the whole assembly mean??' How have the whole assembly got on in this area before? Is there an issue with SF seeking equality which DUP have consistently denied in these negotiations?

Re legacy - on the one hand you say deal before was poor, on the other you say shouldn't be negotiating on it  You also know, despite your statements to the contrary that this is an area where the british govt will be lead by the parties here