Keeping with the theme of the Devolution of Justice, it’s appropiate at this stage to highlight the internal scrambling of SF on the issue. Where to start……
In the Assembly, SF is content to attack the SDLP to attempt to cover their many contradictions and weaknesses; claiming that we are attempting to serve our own interests in the issue of the allocation of the ministry.
You couldn’t make it up. SF; the party responsible for effectively collapsing the government for five months because they didn’t get their own way accuse the SDLP of being self serving!
We have made our position very clear. The method that the DUP conned SF into adopting for the allocation of the post is a major digression from the Good Friday Agreement. An agreement supported by the majority of the Irish people in a referendum. The SDLP is right and proper to oppose that method. Power Sharing and proportionality are fundamental pillars of the GFA and SF is blindly assisting the DUP in picking apart the agreement.
Alban Maginness said it well when he said ‘If we depart from d’Hondt, we effectively undermine and weaken partnership in this institution…It is also the fairest way to bring about proper representation and a level of input from every significant political opinion. If we abandon that, we abandon fairness…The SDLP is committed to d’Hondt and would like, in the first instance, d’Hondt to be completely rerun. If that is required, let us do that. If that cannot be achieved, let us top up d’Hondt ‘
It couldn’t be made any clearer that it’s not about the SDLP, but about the hard fought protections under the GFA that SF are giving away.
So John O’Dowd then outlined that SF are not selling out power sharing and that an SDLP member could apply for the post. But they needed a CV. And they needed to take that CV to Peter Robinson.
Wait. What? What did John O’Dowd say? Did he just say that in order for a nationalist to become Justice Minister; they have to prepare a CV, take their CV to Peter Robinson, a Unionist, and await an answer?
That’s outlined in the GFA where exactly? What do you think his answer would be?
SF are in a spin (pun) over this. They held their special Ard Fheis in 2007 and passed a motion to sign up to policing with the provision that Justice would be devolved by May 2008. It’s now the end of 2009. We’ll soon be in 2010.
It seems their “chief negotiator” is doing well then (on this, and everything/anything else).