northern ireland assembly – Slugger O'Toole

The Northern Ireland Protocol: The High Court has its say

Sarah Creighton on July 1, 2021, 9:27 am

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Who knew constitutional law could be so dramatic? The High Court has dismissed a legal challenge to the Northern Ireland Protocol by several unionist politicians. The political ramifications are likely to carry us through July, a traditionally calm month in Northern Ireland. As always when there’s a high-profile judgment, people will take what they can and use it for political capital. You wouldn’t think the unionist claimants had lost. Others seem to think the matter is settled and we should …

New Decade, Same Nonsense

Sarah Creighton on November 12, 2020, 8:27 am

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With the four-week circuit breaker due to expire on Friday, people across Northern Ireland are looking for certainty. Businesses need to know if they can re-open at the weekend. Workers want to know if they’ll get an income over the next few weeks. All the while, six of Northern Ireland’s hospitals are at full capacity. As of this morning, the Executive still hasn’t agreed a way forward. Robin Swann proposed a two-week extension of the circuit breaker but this was …

In review: why the abortion debate landed where it landed

Andy Boal on June 8, 2020, 7:12 am

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To begin with, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 specifically authorises Parliament to make laws for Northern Ireland (Section 5(6)) and, in return, the Northern Ireland Assembly to amend laws made by Parliament to the extent that they affect Northern Ireland, provided that the matter has been “transferred” (devolved – see section 6). In theory, there could be an unending game of ping pong as the Assembly asserts its will and Parliament asserts its sovereignty. Thus the Sewell convention, which is …

2020 – A key year for climate action including within the assembly

Soapbox on January 10, 2020, 1:25 pm

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Stevie Maginn is a Green Party Activist & Environmental Campaigner. 2019 was the year that the climate crisis finally became part of mainstream society thanks to the work of activists like Greta Thunberg and more locally, Youth Strike 4 Climate Belfast & Múscail. 2020 must be the year for Climate Action. The science is there, the UN International Panel for Climate Change recognises that global carbon emissions MUST peak this year, if average temperatures are to remain within 1.5C of …

Rewarding the centre: Positive-sum, cross-community politics

Soapbox on December 20, 2019, 7:30 pm

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James Devlin is a postgraduate researcher at NUI Galway. The recent general election results were marked by the high positive swing to the Alliance party. Alliance were rewarded with one seat, came within 2000 votes of a second, and increased their share of the vote by approximately 10%, including in areas where they have previously struggled. In doing so, Alliance affirmed their performance in the recent European elections, confirming a general swing in Northern Ireland towards the centre, driven by …

Abortion is a sensitive and complex issue which is why decisions around it are devolved.

Soapbox on July 9, 2019, 11:49 am

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Carla Lockhart is a Lurgan based DUP MLA for Upper Bann. Here she challenges the attempt by some Westminster MPs to include a number of changes to Northern Irish law within a piece of legislation designed to push back the current deadline. Over the course of the next few days the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill will be passing through the House of Commons. This Bill is designed to amend the date by which the Secretary of State must call …

New Tory proposals on the backstop are no magic bullet but worth discussing to check a Hallowe’en crashout

Brian Walker on June 24, 2019, 10:21 am

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How realistic are the “alternative arrangements” proposed by the Prosperity UK report backed by Tory MPs desperate to avoid a complete crash out and political meltdown by the autumn? The answer – in the details, less than seemed likely months ago. They are for the most part familiar ingredients in a slightly different recipe. But details are not the main point. What matters more is the legal framework. We’re struck with the basic bone of contention. Prosperity UK believe they …

Bryson and McKay in the dock over Nama corruption allegations made to the Assembly

Brian Walker on June 22, 2019, 12:32 pm

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Photo Mal McCann No comment is necessary or indeed permitted apart from this from Allison Morris, the Irish News reporter with the exclusive.. The PPS warns: As court proceedings will shortly commence, the PPS would ask that there is no reporting, commentary or sharing of information on-line which would in any way prejudice these proceedings”. “A trial directly related to politics couldn’t have came at a worse time for both the DUP and Sinn Féin. In a place where one …

‘Political leadership is key to making progress’

Paul Gosling on May 13, 2019, 7:00 am

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Developing mutual respect, strengthening relationships and building proper political leadership are the basis for making progress in Northern Ireland, believes independent unionist MLA – and former justice minister – Claire Sugden. She is interviewed in the latest Forward Together podcast. Talking before the announcement of renewed political talks, Claire expressed her frustration at the lack of a functioning Assembly and Executive. “We’ve had a situation here at Stormont where we haven’t had a sitting assembly for two years. And I …

Leading human rights expert challenges Sinn Fein on “rights” stance

Brian Walker on May 9, 2019, 1:22 pm

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Brice Dickson, normally a sober sounding academic lawyer and a former head of the NI Human Rights Commission was first famous for recanting on his recommendation for an “all singing, all dancing” NI Bill of Rights. In the Newsletter today Brice has boldly entered the fray of the all party talks at Stormont to point out flaws in Sinn Fein’s starting position. Sinn Fein has abused the concept of human rights by setting up such rights as pre-conditions for …

Sterling, Sweeney,Widdis, McKibbin and Gray. These are the people who could guide Stormont through to restoration

Brian Walker on May 8, 2019, 1:47 pm

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The latest set of Northern Ireland political talks look like a walk in the park compared to struggling through the tangles of Brexit. On the brink of transition, the British government is in a poor position to exert the kind of pressure to nudge the parties towards agreement. Some signs of life can be seen though. British- Irish cooperation has at resumed and is even managing to iron out some of the problems caused by Brexit over the common travel …

Stop dreaming and learn how to take responsibility – the key demand to local parties

Brian Walker on March 4, 2019, 12:05 pm

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Alan and Mick have done sterling work in reporting and commenting on the Alliance and Fianna Fail conferences, with the SDLP in tow for the latter. From me at a distance they prompt the following reflections. Real politics cannot be about endless positioning, it has to be about policies, doing things for the people , how to raise and spend the money – you know, the stuff you read about what happens in other places. The SDLP’s agenda is too …

Peter Robinson urges the DUP to drop their ban on an Irish Language Act and get real about restoring Stormont

Brian Walker on November 24, 2018, 1:37 am

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Elder statesmen a.k.a. retired politicians often grow wiser in retirement after shedding the burdens of office and the cares of party management. Sometimes their advice is welcome; sometimes it’s a stalking horse for a change of direction by their successors; sometimes it’s an embarrassment to them. We will soon know which it is this time. Conforming to type, Peter Robinson, for over forty years the usually steely self- disciplined deputy leader then leader of the DUP has offered some …

The time has come for the next Assembly to vote on a border poll

Brian Walker on September 6, 2018, 12:01 pm

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In a brave attempt to discuss a border poll dispassionately, Newton Emerson is tentatively suggesting that it might be a good idea to hold a sort of test poll outside the terms of the GFA “to clear the air.” Unfortunately his analysis is better than his prescription, as a poll of any sort under official sponsorship, even one declared in some way not to count, would inevitably still stimulate the seven year itch among nationalists he rightly identifies , to …

Never mind the wrangling. What can the Intergovernmental Conference achieve?

Brian Walker on July 25, 2018, 11:22 am

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We’ve never been that great about commenting on economics and finance have we? Unless they’re fodder for the same old, same old wrangle or we’re demanding more, more money from the Brits who never give us what we really deserve. We get far more craic (crack, old spelling) out of the antics of Paisley junior, the very epitome of a farcical son of a overwhelming father who also thought some rules weren’t made for him. No prizes for guessing that …

The wheeze lasted less than 24 hours…

Brian Walker on June 2, 2018, 5:43 pm

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Trouble is, if you start a hare running you may have to shoot it. David Davis had proposed Northern Ireland have a joint regime of UK and EU customs regulations, allowing it to trade freely with both, and a 10-mile wide “special economic zone” on the border with Ireland, thus avoiding checks there. The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) declined to comment directly on the report, but also did not reject it, saying work was underway to “refine” possible customs …

After the huge majority in the Republic, all is changed utterly in the North. The Union is more at stake than ever

Brian Walker on May 27, 2018, 11:27 am

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The scale of the verdict in the Article 8 referendum will create a new surge and a new context in Northern Ireland politics. While it would be an exaggeration to say that it might even sweep away the entire unionist position if it does not radically change, even that is not inconceivable, if added to the impact of a hard Brexit. NI abortion reform and the risk to the UK government While all bets are off, it would be unwise …

MPs urge the UK government to end “untenable” inaction over the absence of Stormont after the Bank holiday. But who believes anything will happen?

Brian Walker on May 23, 2018, 12:23 am

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The call by the NI select committee of MPs to secretary of state Karen Bradley to “redouble” her efforts to restart talks aimed at restoring devolution has a ritual flavour about it. There seems no appetite for action on this front while the two governments are in stand-off over the UK’s long awaited proposals for exit and backstop which are due to be submitted by the EU next month and agreed in October. The MPs also said she must outline …

Could reform of the petition of concern hold the key to surprise success in the Stormont talks?

Brian Walker on January 30, 2018, 10:01 am

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Following up on Mick’s post on Colum Eastwood, let’s hear it for his SDLP deputy Nichola Mallon who’s called for the reform of the notorious blocking instrument of the petition of concern. It had been supposedly been agreed in the abortive Fresh Start agreement of November 2015 that it should be used only “in exceptional circumstances,” stating – importantly – “the grounds upon which it is being tabled and the nature of the detriment”. After which nothing happened. The investigative …

More delay over a return to the Assembly needs challenging by the two governments

Brian Walker on October 16, 2017, 12:46 pm

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So the target date for either direct rule or an agreement to revive the Executive has slipped for another week at least. What a surprise! We were told by the two governments yet again that ” progress” had been made, but this has been slapped down by the DUP. Sinn Fein’s agenda as far as I know it is not inherently unfeasible. The problem is that it’s Sinn Fein who’s running with it. Crafty old Gerry for false-footing the DUP? Or …