How things change

[Banquo's Ghost]

Well, here's a picture I thought I would never see:




It looks as if devolution is on for real this time. Well done all - including to Prime Minister Blair, for his willingness to talk seriously to terrorists.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

May date for return to devolution

A May date for the return of NI devolved government has been agreed following an historic meeting between the leaders of the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, sitting side by side at a news conference in Stormont on Monday, confirmed that power-sharing would begin on 8 May.

The DUP leader had dropped his long standing ban on talking to Sinn Fein.

The British and Irish governments had said they would shut the assembly if an executive was not agreed on Monday.

The Stormont Assembly was due to meet at noon to appoint ministers to a devolved government.

Instead, the two party delegations met at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

Mr Adams - wearing his Easter lily to commemorate those who died in the 1916 rebellion - and Mr Paisley were said to be juxtaposed at one corner of a table.

After the meeting, Mr Paisley said: "Our goal has been to see devolution returned in a context where it can make a real, meaningful improvement in the lives of all the people of this part of the United Kingdom.

"On Saturday, the DUP executive overwhelmingly endorsed a motion committing our party to support and participate fully in government in May of this year - this is a binding resolution."

Mr Adams said he welcomed Mr Paisley's statement.

"I believe the agreement reached between Sinn Fein and the DUP - including the unequivocal commitment made by their party executive and reiterated today - to the restoration of political institutions on 8 May marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island," he said.

"The basis of the agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP follows Ian Paisley's unequivocal and welcome commitment to support and participate fully in the political institutions on 8 May."

Water 'reprieve'

Both Sinn Fein and the DUP have asked the British government not to issue water bills due to be sent out this week for the first time.

Earlier on Monday, Secretary of State Peter Hain said Northern Ireland's devolution deadline may be allowed "to slip" for a few weeks if the parties agree to work together.

He said the assembly would be dissolved if agreement was not reached by 26 March.

In the assembly election earlier this month, the DUP and Sinn Fein emerged as the two largest parties.

If devolution does not return, controversial water bills will also be posted to homes in Northern Ireland within days, said the government.

Chancellor Gordon Brown has promised an extra £1bn if devolution is back on Monday on top of £35bn promised by the government over four years.

If a power-sharing executive is formed, it will have four DUP ministers, three Sinn Fein, two UUP and one SDLP.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since October 2002, amid allegations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont.

A subsequent court case collapsed. Direct rule has been in place since that date.

[Adrian II]

It looks as if devolution is on for real this time.

Congratulations.

Here is a report I thought we would never get to see:

US held talks with Iraq militants

Outgoing US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has said he held talks last year with insurgent groups to try to bring them into the political fold.
He told the New York Times he had talks both before and after the bombing of a Shia shrine in February last year that sparked a surge in sectarian unrest.

The paper said Mr Khalilzad flew to Jordan for some of the talks, but they foundered after the Samarra attack.

Mr Khalilzad said the US and Iraq had to consider amnesties for certain groups.

"This is something that we and Iraqis, the government, will do together, and there are various types of amnesties," he said.

Link

Mr Khalilzad is by far the most able and intelligent neo-con and he was the U.S. last hope of settling the Iraq situation. His failure is no surprise, seeing what he had to work with.

[BDC]

It's good it looks like it's mostly sorted out. Was a miserable place to be for a while...

[Slyspy]

Interestingly the overall situation in Northern Ireland has been improving nicely without the Assembly. The economy especially is improving, and with money comes peace. Makes you wonder whether they actually need an Assembly at all, especially one stuffed full of former terrorists and demagogues.

[Adrian II]

Makes you wonder whether they actually need an Assembly at all, especially one stuffed full of former terrorists and demagogues.

Hopefully one day they will just forget about the entire Assembly without anyone noticing - except maybe the Devil...

[Pannonian]

Interestingly the overall situation in Northern Ireland has been improving nicely without the Assembly. The economy especially is improving, and with money comes peace. Makes you wonder whether they actually need an Assembly at all, especially one stuffed full of former terrorists and demagogues.

They don't need the Assembly. We do. We want to wash our hands of them.

[InsaneApache]

Speak for yourself.

[BDC]

Speak for yourself.

You like having armed gangs running around Northern Island shooting each other and blowing up bits of the mainland occasionally?

[InsaneApache]

You mean like Peckham on a saturday night?

I was responding to Pannonians' post.

[Pannonian]

You mean like Peckham on a saturday night?

I was responding to Pannonians' post.

Most people I know would rather we didn't have responsibility for Northern Ireland. Mind you, this is London.

[Tribesman]

Most people I know would rather we didn't have responsibility for Northern Ireland. Mind you, this is London.

Most people you know would probably rather you didn't have responsibilty for Peckham .

[BDC]

Most people you know would probably rather you didn't have responsibilty for Peckham .

Home Rule for Peckham?

[InsaneApache]

lol

Until the Northern Irish decide to secede from the UK then we do have a duty of care. Has it been a mess for most of the latter 20th century? Yes. Was it avoidable? More than likely.

A lot of people have died on both sides. Needlessly.

This is the only occasion that I can think of where membership of the EU actually had a beneficial effect politically. Once both the UK and Eire were members (of the EU) the whole idea of nationalism and unionism became redundant. I'd like to say that Blair, despite his myriad faults, actually did something good. Let's also remember the man who initially got the ball rolling. John Major.

I've mentioned it before but my grandad, (he was in the Army at that time), was kidnapped in the post WW I years by Sinn Fein. His mates were executed but he, being 17 years old, was spared, probably so he could tell others what had happened. That was in Eire of course but it has a direct link to the recent troubles.

Let's all hope this time it will be peace for good.

[BDC]

Let's all hope this time it will be peace for good.

Definitely. Let the British Isles finally be peaceful.