'No surrender' Paisley to retire

Commenting on Ian Paisley's announcement to stand down as First Minister in Northern Ireland has obviously led to varying reactions. For now, the comments are relatively moderate, although with time, I am sure that this will change! Liking Ian Paisley has been quite a challenge for me over the years, but his willingness to enter coalition with Sinn Fein was the catalyst for me to reassess my position. Known for his hard line 'No surrender' stance to Republicanism, it was surprising that he was ready to take on the power-sharing role with Sinn Fein, a step too far for David Trimble -which ultimately led to his downfall.

The reasons why Ian Paisley is resigning is of little significance in the wider political picture in my opinion, but what will happen next will determine the future of the North. Ian Paisley has dominated the political landscape, and that of the DUP for decades. Despite Ian Paisley's now waning popularity as leader, one may not merely dismiss his influence on the party and his hold on its members, and his successor will be only too aware of this. I remember driving past Paisley's church years ago, the congregation spilling out onto the streets- such was his influence.

Paisley's decision to enter Government with Sinn Fein may not have been a simple decision, but it was certainly a way in which to tie Sinn Fein closer to the British establishment, and a way of removing them from their plight of creating a united Ireland. Paisley may have sat down to compare Northern Ireland with the other devolved entities in enacting his strategy- certainly, in Scotland and Wales, many argue that providing us with a limited form of devolution will 'keep us quiet', and will allow Westminster to keep an arms length approach to governance in the UK. Whether this will be successful in the long-term is unclear, especially with the SNP highlighting the call for Independence- however genuine this is at the present moment in time. Nevertheless, it is true that Sinn Fein now work within the confines of the British establishment, but with an effort to build a new Ireland of the North in the short term, I am convinced that embrace this they must before considering the issue of a United Ireland.

The next leader of the DUP must take on the challenge of balancing a new approach to governance and that of ensuring their former leader's goal of remaining as part of Britain. Paisley's quotes over the weekend of 'smashing' Sinn Fein is an overestimation of their success in encouraging/forcing/pulling Sinn Fein into the British system, and Sinn Fein leaders are only too aware of this strategy.

However, I don't believe that any political party in the North of Ireland wants to return to the violence of the Troubles, and the new generation of politicians must show that there are other ways of working, of co-operating so that social justice and equality are issues of importance for them all, in line with the constitutional question, of course.

Politics of the North of Ireland back on track

News has just broken that there will be a power-sharing deal between Sinn Fein and the DUP in the North of Ireland. This is a momentous occasion for the North of Ireland, and a symbol of a positive future to come. It could have been stale mate again, with direct rule imposed on the North, but Paisley has declared that he is ready to govern alongside Sinn Fein. On Saturday, the DUP executive overwhelmingly endorsed a motion committing their party to support the deal. The party will participate fully in government in May of this year, and state that it will be ' a binding resolution."

The power sharing executive is set to begin on the 8th of May. The way in which the politicians have dealt with this situation is commendable, and I am sure that my family in the North are pleased that the conflict of the past will be replaced with a future of co-operation and trust.

This is an example to us here in Wales that we must take tough decisions to make devolution succeed.

Election in North of Ireland- gains for DUP and Sinn Fein

Below you can see some of the results for the election in the North of Ireland, and the predictions of Irish Republican News....

So far, Sinn Fein have been positive about their gains, and are announcing their eagerness to work alongside the DUP and Ian Paisley. This could be a long few weeks leading up to March the 26th deadline as Paisley reacted yesterday saying that 'there would be no power-sharing unless Sinn Fein "repents" and "turn from their evil ways", while Gerry Adams reacted to the election by saying that ' those who voted did so to see Northern Ireland's institutions working'. It shall be an interesting few weeks for politicians of the North, that is certain!

So far, 72 of the 108 seats have been filled.

The breakdown is as follows:

First preference result: Final seats prediction:

DUP: 30.1% (25.7% in 2003) 33-38 seats (30 seats in 2003)

SF: 26.2% (23.5% in 2003) 27-29 seats (24 seats in 2003)

SDLP: 15.2% (17.0% in 2003) 14-18 seats (18 seats in 2003)

UUP: 14.9% (22.7% in 2003) 14-18 seats (27 seats in 2003)

All.: 5.2% (3.7% in 2003) 5-7 seats (6 seats in 2003)

Ind: 3.2% (2.8% in 2003) 0-2 seats (1 seats in 2003)

Green: 1.7% (0.3% in 2003) 0-1 seats (0 seats in 2003)

UKUP: 1.5% (0.8% in 2003) 0-1 seats (1 seats in 2003)

PUP: 0.6% (1.2% in 2003) 1 seats (1 seats in 2003)

Update of final result:

Final result:

DUP 36 (+6)

SF 28 (+4)

UUP 18 (-9)

SDLP 16 (-2)

All. 7 (+1)

Gre. 1 (+1)

PUP 1

Ind. 1

Hain veto #2- the North of Ireland

Peter Hain is one of the easiest people to blog about- he loves media attention so there's always something about him in the press, and considering that he has so many different jobs, he's always seen juggling as many issues as he can fit into one day(alongside cooking on his first class aga, of course!)

So today, Hain returns to the politics of the North of Ireland. After his practise run of vetoing Welsh issues at the Assembly, he gets stuck in today by threatening to abolish Stormont if the executive fails to get up and running by the 26th of March. Having studied the politics of the North of Ireland in detail while at University, and having roots in the North, I always find it grating when an MP/ Secretary of State tries to exert control in such an outright and authoritative manner.

Hain shows little thought for the dealings between political parties in the North, or faith in their ability to solve issues for themselves. While outside involvement from Senator Mitchell and John de Chastelain alike proved beneficial during the Good Friday Agreement, British involvement has historically caused much more controversy. We need only use Margaret Thatcher as case in point due to her bullish stance on hunger strikers in the 80's. The fact remains that British politicians are inherently involved in all that is happening in the North, and therefore they cannot take a neutral viewpoint.

Today's reaction by Hain therefore will surely not be welcomed by the main political parties, of whatever colour, in the run up to the election this Wednesday. To use such a threatening tone when the election has not even taken place will only portray a picture of Hain and Westminster alike of seeking to push their own agenda on the people of the North. This is very dangerous ground to be treading. Hain should know better than to be as insensitive to the situation. Let the politicians of the North make their own decisions, for their own people, for a change.

Rhodri Morgan's comments are not a laughing matter

To describe Rhodri Morgan's joke about Ian Paisley at the Labour Conference as a gaff belittles the context and the issues surrounding the politics of the North of Ireland, and the way in which Rhodri Morgan conducts himself in public. Ok, the 'joke' is an old one, but Rhodri Morgan clearly lacks the ability to assess the severity of his actions, and grapple with the senstive nature of politics in the run up to the Assembly election in the North of Ireland.

For a start, we've seen a near stale mate situation in the North over the last year with the suspension of the Assembly, and Paisley and co. refusing to work alongside Sinn Fein time after time. In the last few weeks, things have taken a turn for the better somewhat following Sinn Fein's decision to sit on the North's Policing board which overseas the PSNI. Paisley has shown small signs of willingness to work with Sinn Fein in light of the policing announcement, but with what looks like a DUP First Minister and a Sinn Fein Deputy following the election this month, politics in the region is still far from harmonious. Only time will tell whether or not this power sharing agreement will be successful. Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that there is a general lack of understanding of the politics of the North of Ireland from those who do not take a genuine interest in it. If Rhodri had been involved in any peace negotiating situations, he would certainly not have made such a flippant comment as part of a serious key-note speech.

The other strand of this issue is the way in which Rhodri Morgan conducts himself in public. What has always annoyed me about Rhodri Morgan is that he creates a sense of being 'above' politics. He tries to create the impression that it is not his place to comment on the serious issues of the day as he seeks (and fails in my opinion) to mould himself as an elderly statesman, the conscience of Wales. It is due to this perception that he has of himself that he believes that he can always take the role of joker, and 'one of the boys' - on any occasion. Someone should remind him that he is (until May) the First Minister, and that making ill thought out comments reflects badly on our Nation. If he wants to be a joker so much, perhaps he could channel his energies more effectively by making a few humorous comments about his fellow Labour cabinet members in the Bay....the ideas for which are endless without a doubt.