Christmas deadline for policing and justice powers is unfeasible: Peter Robinson
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
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Sinn Fein is aware a date for the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont could not “logistically” be given before Christmas, First Minister Peter Robinson has insisted.
In an article for the Belfast Telegraph, the DUP leader also argues it is foolish to suggest Sinn Fein should be rewarded for supporting policing by “coming up to the same basic standards as everyone else”.
Mr Robinson was responding to an article written for the Belfast Telegraph earlier this month by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, who warned power-sharing would become “unsustainable” unless agreement on the handover of responsibility for courts, prisons and the police was reached soon.
Mr Robinson’s counter-attack came after tensions between the Stormont ‘top two’ spilled into the public arena for the first time at the latest North South Ministerial Council meeting yesterday, with a spat over the DUP’s insistence that the Parades Commission should be axed.
Asked if he planned to resign if a date for the devolution of justice is not agreed in the next fortnight, Mr McGuinness said he had an agreement with Mr Robinson but it did not contain pre-conditions on going off on “solo runs” to the Prime Minister.
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close stormont down immediately......... its blatantly obvious that a devolved administration isn't going to work here..... its one crisis after the other.
stop wasting tax payers money and fooling decent hard working people - end this shambles now and implement joint rule between london and dublin......
Posted by Robert Wilson | 16.12.09, 21:50 GMT
Policing and Justice could be given the go-ahead today and be in place by Christmas Day. The only thing stopping its implementation is the arrogance of the DUP! Frustration at the failure to put this Minister in place shows that the TUV thinkers in the DUP have loads of influence, not a good sign of strong leadership.
Posted by Stephen Blacker | 16.12.09, 15:50 GMT
no one in northern ireland wants to hear anymore of peter robinson and his mob of meery men marching us up the hill and marching us back down again! the grand old duke of york(ian paisley)did it to us in the 70s and 80s and now robison is using in same old tacktics.and as for mcgieness he is making a fool out of robinson (mind you that woudnt be to difficult!) its time to face facts folk the people of northern ireland were conned into thinking that these two political parties could run the country. the fact is they couldnt run a post office
Posted by tiffany | 15.12.09, 17:57 GMT
is it not blatantly obvious to everyone that neither robinson or mcgiuness have the intelectual or political maturity to manage the province. if northern ireland plc was managed properly the shareholders (ie the voters) would sack the pair of them on the spot. the whole board of directors of stormont plc should be sacked also,and replaced with forward thinking young enthusiastic politictions not bloody dinasours from the distant past, frankly my opionion is its one step forward and ten steps back with the two of them. when will this farce evr end?
Posted by michael donaldson | 15.12.09, 17:49 GMT
equal rights power sharing catholics in the north have been treated like second class citizens for to long st andrews agreement is set in stone there will be a transfer of power the dup/uff/uda/uvf have no choice it will happen equal rights for all
Posted by ray usa | 15.12.09, 15:48 GMT
Surely the time has long past for the devolution of P&J to our own politicians. The old nugget of Parading is trotted out as some sort of confidence building. Confidence building for who. Mr Robinson would need to ask the people of the Garvaghy Road how much confidence they have in him and parts of his community. Mr Robinson conveniently forgets there are still loyalist gumen out there who have not decommissioned.
Posted by michael | 15.12.09, 15:08 GMT
sinn fein made every one wait for ,seeing how semtex keeps emerging, a doubtful full decommishioning, they wont even sit and discuss education ruane having it her way or no way, they delivered thier ultimatum about policing at a parade of men in full provo uniform combats etc, how do they expect any person to put up with these bully boy tactics, now its thier turn to wait they behave like children and go into a huff ,mcguinnis a great politition yes and the easter bunny really exists i dont think
Posted by w. gould | 15.12.09, 14:43 GMT
The fact is, the Policing and Justice tranfer has long been agreed, and should have been agreed as soon as Brown coughed up the ready's.
Instead, fearful of Allister's TUV and the likes of Gregory C in his own party, Robinson not only added in a last-minute wish-list of preconditions before the Transfer, but he went behind McGuinness's back with a private letter to Brow.
This is really the final straw for many Nationalists.
Many within the DUP have shown in a very crude way they neither understand nor want powersharing.
Posted by sam simpson | 15.12.09, 12:39 GMT
I would like to pose a serious question here to other unionists, just to check, because I find myself supporting the DUP with regards the devolution of Policing and Justice, and I do not normally support the DUP.
My question is this, do unionists have enough confidence in Stormont and particularly Sinn Fein to not use Policing and Justice as a political football?
I personally think Stormont is not mature enough, this opinion is not enhanced by Sinn Fein's threat to bring the house down every time they do not get their own way and in their time frames.
Did we not wait six years for Sinn Fein to deliver the 1998 promise of de-commissioning, so why do they feel they can set deadlines for other parties?
Look at the absolute mess Sinn Fein have made of Education, can we seriously trust them with P&J?
The dissident threat is serious, no doubt involving many ex-Sinn Fein members, is this really time for change?
I for one do not have the confidence to see P&J devolved.
Posted by Steven73 | 15.12.09, 09:08 GMT