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And news from the North… January 9, 2017

Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.
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Martin McGuinness resigns over the refusal of Arlene Foster to stand aside for an investigation into the RHI issue. Not quite politics as usual, where doss it end?

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1. irishelectionliterature - January 9, 2017

Is it an election? I gather that the next Assembly will have 18 less MLA’s so I’m not sure who that will benefit.
I hadn’t realised McGuinness was so unwell until I saw him interviewed today, looks like SF will have to have a new leadership figure in the North as prospective Deputy First Minister/ First Minister which itself may signal the direction as to who the post Adams SF leadership will be.

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2. CL - January 9, 2017

“The equality, mutual respect and all-Ireland approaches enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement have never been fully embraced by the DUP. Apart from negative attitude to nationalism and to the Irish identity and culture, there has been a shameful disrespect towards many other sections of our community.

“Women, the LGBT community and ethnic minorities have all felt this prejudice. And for those who wish to live their lives through the medium of Irish elements in the DUP have exhibited the most crude and crass bigotry.

Successive British Governments have undermined the process of change by refusing to honour agreements, refusing to resolve the issues of the past while imposing austerity and Brexit against the wishes and best interests of people here.” From resignation statement of Martin McGuinness.

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3. murf - January 9, 2017

This might shore up SF support in republican areas, and perhaps squeeze PBP in Belfast & Derry. It might also weaken the DUP, which SF would presumably welcome?

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4. CL - January 9, 2017

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said

“The Sinn Féin statement references the attacks by the DUP on Irish identity and culture and on the equality agenda. All of those statements and sentiments are true and I agree with them all. The DUP have governed disgracefully and it has extended well beyond the leadership of Arlene Foster.”

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5. ivorthorne - January 9, 2017

Sad to see that he’s so unwell.

Somewhat worried about what this means for the future of the north. It seems likely that SF and the DUP will return as the largest parties, but how long will it take to form an agreement? In the meantime, Brexit looms.

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GW - January 10, 2017

Yes indeed – he looks quite poorly.

I’m not familiar with the GFA arrangements – can SF force an election?

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dublinstreams - January 10, 2017

SF have 7 days to name a repalcement or an election has to be called

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6. roddy - January 9, 2017

He towered above all the rest in that assembly and bent over backwards to try and make it work. He got no thanks from the bullshitters that dominate the Irish media north and south who will no doubt now engage in handwringing about how things have developed.

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7. Aonrud ⚘ - January 9, 2017

With the cut to seats in the next election, there’s a few people in trouble. Hopefully Eamonn McCann can hang on.

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irishelectionliterature - January 9, 2017

Yes McCann will find it hard to hold on, that said I wonder is it possible that some of the McGuinness vote was a personal one that may go to McCann. Carroll will be OK but there doesn’t appear to be anywhere else where the Left have a chance of a seat.

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8. Aonrud ⚘ - January 9, 2017

The DUP line is that SF are costing the public money by delaying any potential resolution of the RHI issue. Weak stuff.

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9. dublinstreams - January 9, 2017

they’ve got 7 days before they have to call an election best hope is they pull back from the brink somehow, convenient for Martin McGuinness?

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10. roddy - January 9, 2017

What do you mean “convenient for Martin McGuinness?”

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dublinstreams - January 9, 2017

just referring to his health, if he had it mind to retire in the next year might aswell use that gambit now, we’ll probably see elections, would “demographic change” and less MLAs be such an advantage to Sinn Fein, to have such quick elections?

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11. sonofstan - January 9, 2017
dublinstreams - January 9, 2017

how about you wait to see what Corbyn says rather then what the Guardian says he will say, and in the right thread/post. 😛

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sonofstan - January 9, 2017

yes to both -obv. that was meant for the other thread

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12. sonofstan - January 10, 2017

The reduction from 108 to 90 seats presumably means that every constituency goes from 6 to 5 seats right?
Looking quickly at the results last year, it’s possible to see SF losses in North/ South/ East Antrim and Belfast South, based on these being the last seat filled ( I think) – Same for DUP in Foyle and Mid Ulster.
The 6-seaters were I guess instituted so as ensure parity as far as possible – will the 5 seaters throw this out of kilter or will the losses balance?

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13. Alibaba - January 10, 2017

Thinking back, the withdrawal of the miserly payment to students studying the Irish language was a red flag to Sinn Féin. It signaled the deeply anti-nationalist sentiment and sectarian, hateful agenda of Foster.
 
I previously took the view that the power-sharing arrangement would last despite the mishandling of the cash for ash scandal. As roddy says McGuinness “bent over backwards to try and make it work”. Little did I know that SF would be backed into a corner by Foster, a corner from which it couldn’t escape.
 
No matter that SF has gone as soft as they can, Foster relentlessly middle-fingered it. No wonder that SF was driven by necessity for McGuinness to resign. He said “We now need an election to allow the people to make their own judgments on these issues democratically, at the ballot box”. Really? How can people make informed judgments when they don’t have access to the information they need to do so? The SDLP was due to bring a motion to the Assembly next week calling for a full public investigation into the scandal, a reasonable and undisputedly necessary proposal. But SDLP wasn’t going to be allowed to take the initiative. Hence, McGuinness’s resignation yesterday.
 
Those who called for an election once Foster insisted way back that she wouldn’t stand aside, will hopefully be elected to the diminished Assembly. And hopefully, good riddance to Unionist bigots too.

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14. roddy - January 10, 2017

Foster was so afraid of the sdlp motion that she said today she will support what the stoops want -“a public enquiry under the 2005 inquiries act which will last for years and let her off the hook.Believe me there are no more despicable counts on this island than the SDLP. Opportunists and gombeen men who play footsie with the worst elements of FF ,FG and Labour and campaign for them in free state elections.They cynically called for Foster to go ,knowing full well they had fuck all power to make it happen.Only SF could force her out and did so by the only means possible to them ie McGuinness resignation.The STOOPS then rounded on SF for forcing an election ,knowing full well that had their call for Foster to go been heeded ,an election was the only outcome.

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