Northern Ireland Assembly Collapses

[Seosamh]

Northern Ireland Assembly Collapses

The current political crisis at the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the possibility of a collapse of that institution if the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein, are unable to resolve their differences over the transfer of Policing and Justice, again raises the possibility of Direct Rule from Westminster.

The first imposition of Direct Rule occurred on March 1972, and continued for the next 27 years, with the exception of five months in 1974.

The cartoon below, by Dan ÓNéill, was published by the Civil Rights movement while ÓNéill was on a visit to Ireland in 1972, as Stormont was stood down.

http://seosamhsonar.blogspot.com/2010/01/northern-ireland-assembly-collapses.html

[johnneycool]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

[Rosie McCann]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

But would the DUP and unionists be happy withjoint administration from Dublin because that's were this will end up. I would be inclined to let direct rule take over from Dublin and London, pull the plug on the assembly and let them fight it out at Westminister between each other. Put this to the parties and you'll soon see an agreement. If they realise they are going to lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree!

[Zapatista]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

But would the DUP and unionists be happy withjoint administration from Dublin because that's were this will end up. I would be inclined to let direct rule take over from Dublin and London, pull the plug on the assembly and let them fight it out at Westminister between each other. Put this to the parties and you'll soon see an agreement. If they realise they are going to lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree!

This is a little lazy. It has been put to the parties, they are well aware of the alternatives. Can you please explain the benefits you see in joint rule?

[ziggysego]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

But would the DUP and unionists be happy withjoint administration from Dublin because that's were this will end up. I would be inclined to let direct rule take over from Dublin and London, pull the plug on the assembly and let them fight it out at Westminister between each other. Put this to the parties and you'll soon see an agreement. If they realise they are going to lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree!

This is a little lazy. It has been put to the parties, they are well aware of the alternatives. Can you please explain the benefits you see in joint rule?

The only benefit I can see, is for the Unionist. Especially if it's a hung parliament and they hold the balance of power. Bad day for Nationalists...

[rossie mad]

Has the assembly actually collapsed as the thread suggests or is the talks still ongoing?

[ziggysego]

Talks still ongoing. I agree, the title of the thread is a little misleading.

[Rosie McCann]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

But would the DUP and unionists be happy withjoint administration from Dublin because that's were this will end up. I would be inclined to let direct rule take over from Dublin and London, pull the plug on the assembly and let them fight it out at Westminister between each other. Put this to the parties and you'll soon see an agreement. If they realise they are going to lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree!

This is a little lazy. It has been put to the parties, they are well aware of the alternatives. Can you please explain the benefits you see in joint rule?

The only benefit I can see, is for the Unionist. Especially if it's a hung parliament and they hold the balance of power. Bad day for Nationalists...

The benefits of joint rule is that it does away with a level of bureaucracy ie the folks on the hill. We've bankrolled them enough to date. How many of us can afford second homes, fancy cars or earn directorships etc etc. As I said earlier if they lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree. As for a bad day for nationalist how can it be. Dublin involvement will be very much to the fore if direct rule takes over which will irk unionism even more. By taking control away from the 'White house' on the Stormont hill and allowing Dublin a say in proceedings will be the icing on the cake to the whole sham that has been an excuse for an executive

[ziggysego]

I thought they said on the TV last night that we go into joint administration from Dublin and London if the Assembly collapses.

The DUP and unionists in general would be happy enough with direct rule from Westminister especially if the Tory's get in.

But would the DUP and unionists be happy withjoint administration from Dublin because that's were this will end up. I would be inclined to let direct rule take over from Dublin and London, pull the plug on the assembly and let them fight it out at Westminister between each other. Put this to the parties and you'll soon see an agreement. If they realise they are going to lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree!

This is a little lazy. It has been put to the parties, they are well aware of the alternatives. Can you please explain the benefits you see in joint rule?

The only benefit I can see, is for the Unionist. Especially if it's a hung parliament and they hold the balance of power. Bad day for Nationalists...

The benefits of joint rule is that it does away with a level of bureaucracy ie the folks on the hill. We've bankrolled them enough to date. How many of us can afford second homes, fancy cars or earn directorships etc etc. As I said earlier if they lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree. As for a bad day for nationalist how can it be. Dublin involvement will be very much to the fore if direct rule takes over which will irk unionism even more. By taking control away from the 'White house' on the Stormont hill and allowing Dublin a say in proceedings will be the icing on the cake to the whole sham that has been an excuse for an executive

Dublin will only have a consultant role. The real buck stops with London and what she says will go.

Unless it was written into Law, Dublin would have no real say in the affairs of the north.

[rossie mad]

Well at least the good news is the talks are still ongoing.

One of the major sticking points i believe for the DUP is the Parades Commision and they want it abolished.

I thought that they were doing a decent job.
Bar a few incidents the hate filled confrintations were fewer the last ten years tahn any other time in the statelets history.

Who would grant permission to march if there was no commision?
The PSNI or the local authrity?

[Zapatista]

The benefits of joint rule is that it does away with a level of bureaucracy ie the folks on the hill. We've bankrolled them enough to date. How many of us can afford second homes, fancy cars or earn directorships etc etc. As I said earlier if they lose their salaries, allowances and other perks they'll soon toe the line and agree. As for a bad day for nationalist how can it be. Dublin involvement will be very much to the fore if direct rule takes over which will irk unionism even more. By taking control away from the 'White house' on the Stormont hill and allowing Dublin a say in proceedings will be the icing on the cake to the whole sham that has been an excuse for an executive

For me joint rule means there are two sets of uninterested unaccountable governments screwing the people of the north. They would divide us up and lead to a form of repartition which most unionists would be happy with. Worst case senario.

[ziggysego]

Who would grant permission to march if there was no commision?
The PSNI or the local authrity?

I think I remember hearing some time ago that it would fall to the Stormont Executive.

[down desperado]

It will be the same bullshit as before, they will sit up all night ordering takeaways and drinking tea then make a statement the next morning emphasising how hard all the parties worked thru the night{and the taoiseach and the pm of course}, how exhausted they all are and what a ground breaking and unique deal they have all contributed to. The press will come up with a fancy name for it ie good friday agreement, and the circus will carry on again. In the meantime the spotlight has been diverted from peter and gerry, cowen will return to dublin leading everyone to believe he has eventually done something worthwhile and the same for gordon.

[Keyser soze]

To be truthful, although I started out as a supporter of the GFA I no longer support this farce. The past number of years have shown that this part of Ireland is ungovernable by the people living here. NI is an artificially created entity, it is neither a state nor part of a state. It was created and maintained at the point of a gun and will only remain as a partitioned part of Ireland at the point of a gun.

It is pointless to try to establish any sort of coalition government with Unionists as they have the upper hand as they are arch-conservatives and need only maintain the status quo to ensure their superiority. As a result of this firstly the SDLP and now Sinn Fein have become emasculated by this process and it is time to pull the plug. Frankly I found it slightly nauseating to see MMcG nearly in tears, almost begging the DUP to do a deal on P&J.

MARTY, nobody gives a f**k, certainly not any nationalist. What we do give a f**k about is drunken tattooed f**kwits with a big drum staggering up and down our streets, stopping ordinary people who pay to maintain these roads from using them, playing the sash and pissing through our letter boxes all summer. We do give a f**k that you are moving towards reuniting Ireland, NOT that your 'life's work' [sic] has been dedicated to making Stormont work. FFS catch yourself on.

It's time for SF to pull the pin on this farce and play hardball with unionists. When I look back on the GFA nationalists got a shit deal e.g. Articles 2&3 were given up, what did the Brits change in their constitution, sweet FA AFAIK, they should for example have been forced to amend the Act of Union and the Act of Succession for starters.

Time to get out with what little dignity you have left and hand it over to London/Dublin and reconvene talks with the unionists on an agreement that will move us away from this sectarian roundabout for ever.

[Zapatista]

To be truthful, although I started out as a supporter of the GFA I no longer support this farce. The past number of years have shown that this part of Ireland is ungovernable by the people living here. NI is an artificially created entity, it is neither a state nor part of a state. It was created and maintained at the point of a gun and will only remain as a partitioned part of Ireland at the point of a gun.

It is pointless to try to establish any sort of coalition government with Unionists as they have the upper hand as they are arch-conservatives and need only maintain the status quo to ensure their superiority. As a result of this firstly the SDLP and now Sinn Fein have become emasculated by this process and it is time to pull the plug. Frankly I found it slightly nauseating to see MMcG nearly in tears, almost begging the DUP to do a deal on P&J.

MARTY, nobody gives a f**k, certainly not any nationalist. What we do give a f**k about is drunken tattooed f**kwits with a big drum staggering up and down our streets, stopping ordinary people who pay to maintain these roads from using them, playing the sash and pissing through our letter boxes all summer. We do give a f**k that you are moving towards reuniting Ireland, NOT that your 'life's work' [sic] has been dedicated to making Stormont work. FFS catch yourself on.

It's time for SF to pull the pin on this farce and play hardball with unionists. When I look back on the GFA nationalists got a shit deal e.g. Articles 2&3 were given up, what did the Brits change in their constitution, sweet FA AFAIK, they should for example have been forced to amend the Act of Union and the Act of Succession for starters.

Time to get out with what little dignity you have left and hand it over to London/Dublin and reconvene talks with the unionists on an agreement that will move us away from this sectarian roundabout for ever.

The gun is out of Irish politics and it's a shame on the thousands dead that you are advocating a return to it.

It is imperative that a coalition with the Unionist is found as they are real people living on this island and have as much a right to determine it's future as anyone else (apart from the brits who have no right)>

I give a f**k as do many others.

I agree that they should pull the pin in order to have new election not to bring down the GFA or the institutions that have been formed. Article 2 & 3 were are farce.

I couldn't give a feck about looking dignified I want results and devolution would be a result even at the expense of looking dignified.