Direct Rule budget passes through Westminster

Posted by Jim on November 13, 2017

Sinn Fein has said talks with unionists to restore the Six County
Executive are over after it was confirmed today that the British
government is pushing a ‘Northern Ireland’ budget bill through all
stages of the Westminster parliament, a key step towards the return of
full Direct Rule of the north of Ireland from London.

Sinn Fein said it had ended talks with the DUP and have called for
“joint British-Irish partnership arrangements” for the north of Ireland.

Sinn Fein’s Northern leader Michelle O’Neill said that by moving to
bring in a budget for the north of Ireland from Westminster, the British
government was acknowledging that “an agreement hasn’t been possible”.

She said Sinn Fein met the DUP this morning and told them of its
decision to end the negotiations, without setting a date for their
resumption.  “This phase of the talks are over,” said Ms O’Neill.

She accused British prime minister Theresa May of prioritising “her own
electoral survival by the Tory-DUP pact over the interests of all the
people here in the North”.

Ms O’Neill said in the absence of an Executive and Assembly,
responsibility to move on issues such as an Irish language act and other
equality issues lies with the British and Irish governments.

She called for Dublin and London to convene a meeting of the
British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to address issues which were
blocking the return of devolved power-sharing.

Ms O’Neill said that full Direct Rule from Westminster was “not an
option”. She also referred to a period in 2006 where there were
discussions on joint British-Irish government structures.

“Clearly there is a mechanism within the Good Friday agreement in the
intergovernmental conference that would allow work to be done across the
British-Irish governments. That is what we are asking for,” she said.

“We have sought urgent meetings with the Taoiseach and the two
governments,” added Ms O’Neill.

“The way forward now is for the two governments to fulfil their
responsibilities as co-guarantors of the Good Friday agreement and the
St Andrews Agreement to honour outstanding commitments and to deliver
rights for everyone that are enjoyed by everyone else elsewhere on these
islands.

“This in itself would pave the way for the Executive to be restored.”

Ms O’Neill said difficulties were compounded by Brexit and the DUP’s
“refusal to accept the vote in the North to reject Brexit”.

There has been no effective devolved government since the late Martin
McGuinness stood down as Deputy First Minister in January in a row with
DUP leader Arlene Foster amid concerns about corruption and the
integrity of the northern institutions.

Ms O’Neill did not say when or if talks with the DUP might resume. “The
issues aren’t going to go away,” she said at a Sinn Fein press
conference attended by senior party figures including party president
Gerry Adams.

“So, whether we deal with them now, or deal with them in one month, two
months, three months they have to be resolved in order to restore these
institutions and to allow people to have confidence in these
institutions,” she added