SoS to meet parties in bid to tackle Stormont stalemate
Karen Bradley will chair first round of talks since February
Last updated 26th Apr 2018
As Northern Ireland's political parties prepare to meet Secretary of State, Karen Bradley, Downtown & Cool FM reporter, SASHA WYLIE, reflects on the devolution impasse and looks at the possibility of a Stormont revival any time soon.
Efforts to restore devolution currently lie in tatters after the angry Valentine's Day break up, when the DUP unexpectedly pulled the plug on talks amid a row over the Irish language.
The talks today will be the first time the parties have sat down since the shock statement from DUP Leader Arlene Foster in February, were she called on the Westminster government to set a budget.
Lets go back to January last year when it all fell apart - Martin Guinness in a shock moved resigned as deputy leader over the fallout over a botched energy scheme.
Sinn Fein claimed that they wouldn't go back into government, if Arlene Foster was still the leader of the DUP.
But over the course of the year they did relax their stance on that - but stood firm about getting a stand alone Irish Language Act brought into legislation.
The row boils down to a row over the presentation of new laws to protect Irish language speakers. Sinn Fein want a stand-alone Irish Language Act; the DUP are prepared to legislate for Irish speakers but only as part of wider legislation that incorporates the Ulster Scots culture, and not via a free-standing Irish Language Act.
It has been widely suggested that a compromise proposal that had raised expectations that a deal was close - prompting the Prime Minister and Taoiseach to travel to Stormont in February - involved an Irish Language Act, an Ulster Scots Act and an overarching Culture and Respect Act that incorporated the provisions contained in the other two acts.
This was seen as a potential way to bridge the divide, as Sinn Fein could have claimed to have secured a separate Irish Language Act but the DUP could have cited that the legislation was intrinsically linked to the broader Culture and Respect Act, so was therefore not free-standing.
Civil servants have been running Northern Ireland's rudderless public services since the last DUP/Sinn Fein-led coalition imploded last January.
That rift subsequently widened to take in more long-standing disputes over language, social issues and the legacy of the Troubles.
After the recent collapse - Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley unveiled the £12 billion Westminster spending plan for the region in a written statement to Parliament.
The budget included £410 million of the £1 billion investment package secured by the DUP, as part of its confidence and supply agreement with the minority Conservative administration.
Mrs Bradley will chair this new round of talks - which will aim to get the parties back round the table to see what problems still remain - and if there is any possibility of getting back into government.
Sinn Féin Vice President Michelle O'Neill said that the political process in the north should not be held to ransom by the DUP's anti-rights agenda.
Michelle O'Neill was speaking in advance of a meeting with British Secretary of State Karen Bradley in Belfast today.
“I will be telling the British Secretary of State that we need the power-sharing institutions back up and running and there is a huge deal of frustration within the wider community at the unacceptable delay in restoring the Executive due to the British Government’s pact with the DUP.
“The British Government have obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and if they are not prepared to confront the DUP, then they need to deal with the issues directly and in partnership with the Dublin government.
“The people of the North, our public services and our peace agreements should not be held to ransom by the DUP’s anti-rights agenda.
Mrs Foster downplayed the significance of Thursday's meeting with Mrs Bradley.
"This is a routine meeting with the Secretary of State,'' she said.
"I am glad she is meeting all the parties and I hope she will recognise that four of the five main parties would restore devolution immediately. There is only one party which has placed barriers and preconditions in the path of returning local decision making to Northern Ireland.
"In the absence of devolution there is still a need for decisions to be taken however.
"Over the last few days, issues such as the £150 million delivered for broadband by the DUP through the confidence and supply agreement have been in the news.
"I will be urging the Secretary of State to ensure that necessary decisions are taken and the people of Northern Ireland do not suffer because of Sinn Fein's narrow agenda."