Hopes were dashed shortly?14 minutes to be precise?after Stormont reconvened on May 15, after nearly four years of stalemate, when Democratic Unionist Ian Paisley straight away refused to join the power-sharing administration. Amidst heckling and laughter, Paisley answered assembly speaker Eileen Bell: “Certainly not, madam!” And, on May 22, Paisley called a news conference to pronounce repeatedly that “he would not sit down in a committee with either Sinn Fein or the Ulster Unionist Party as both ‘had links to paramilitaries,'” (source) and that he “did not sit and negotiate with anyone connected with terrorism” (source) while others from the DUP contradict him in that they do sit and have sat in committee with these parties. Paisley was nominated to become the “first minister” by archrival Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein, which Paisley contends is the political wing of the IRA and which he will not work with until the leadership formally “bow the knee and do what is right,” a clear reference to the group’s disbandment. Adams nominated Paisley in an apparently genuine effort to bring the power-sharing government to life. The nomination was in Gaelic, which few Catholics and even fewer Protestants understand. The IRA received official recognition for their 2005 decommissioning campaign. Paisley also demanded that Sinn Fein recognize and advocate Catholic support for the Northern Ireland police force, neither of which Sinn Fein has advocated. Paisley has garnered much Protestant support for his unequivocal distain for Sinn Fein, saying “I’m against terrorism, they’re for it” (source).
In a brilliant PR move, Adams, who nearly single-handedly has migrated Sinn Fein from a reviled terrorist entity to a legitimate and popular political one, spoke to the press: “The Democratic Unionist Party can say `no’ only so many times, and then let’s say: Wrap it up…and forget about the assembly. We are here to see the executive formed. Others are here to string it out and engage in distractions. We’re absolutely and totally opposed to that” (source). He wisely cast blame on the DUP should the coalition fail to form.
In another twist at Stormont, the Progressive Unionists, with strong links to the Ulster Volunteer Force , which has been responsible for numerous acts of terrorism, joined forces with the Ulster Unionist Party in an attempt to outseat Sinn Fein. However, Protestant victims of UVF violence have denounced publicly the UUP’s “immoral opportunism” (source). And, the increasing divide is encouragingly welcomed by rival DUP.
The joint assembly has six months?until November 24?to vote in 12 politicians to its coalition, as the 1998 Good Friday Accord intended. Otherwise, Britain will dissolve the assembly unilaterally. The politicians must ‘get on with it’ and overcome petty problems quickly so as to work out more challenging difficulties well before the deadline. Most experts believe the deadline will pass without a coalition government in place, and as the saying goes: Look, kids, Big Ben?around and around we go.
