SAOIRSE32

Sunday Times

Liam Clarke
17 December 2006

SINN FEIN has dealt plans to restore power sharing to Northern Ireland a serious blow by rejecting a compromise proposal that would have eased the way to the transfer of policing powers to a Stormont assembly.

Agreeing the timetable for the devolution of justice and policing powers is the key Sinn Fein demand before the party will endorse the PSNI.

The DUP is refusing to share power with Sinn Fein until it backs policing. Ian Paisley’s party will not agree a timetable for devolution of policing powers because it is concerned that Gerry Kelly, the Sinn Fein policing spokesman and a convicted bomber, would get the job of justice minister.

On Friday, the DUP suggested the justice appointment should be subject to “a cross-community vote” requiring unionist and nationalist support.

Since neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein could hope to win cross-community support, the ministry would go to the SDLP, UUP or Alliance. If that was accepted it might have eased the way for the DUP to agree a timetable.

A source close to the negotiations said: “The main hope of resolving the policing issue lay around agreement that the ministry could go to a candidate from the smaller parties. Without that it looks intractable.”

Yesterday, Kelly rejected the proposal outright. He told the BBC’s Inside Politics programme that he “will not collude” in his own party’s exclusion from office. “What party could argue for its own exclusion in these circumstances?” he asked.

Sinn Fein appears to have raised the bar on policing because of increasing grass-roots pressure on the party. Party sources say Sinn Fein is reluctant to go into an election on a platform of support for the police.

Under the Good Friday agreement, an assembly election must be held by March 7 next year. In late January the British government must decide whether an election is worthwhile.

It has already stated it will not call an election unless there is agreement on policing and power sharing.

The British and Irish governments have also told Sinn Fein that it needs to call an ard chomhairle (party executive) this month and an ard fheis (party conference) to formally endorse policing in January.

Last week, Declan Kearney, Sinn Fein six-county chairperson, and a key figure in the inter-party talks, appeared to rule out compromise.

He told an audience of dissident republicans and Sinn Fein supporters: “There are elements of unionism that have set their face against any possibility of any change in the current operation of policing in the six-county framework, and the issue is whether they are going to blink.”

BN.ie

17/12/2006 - 10:17:58

Gardaí wearing body armour and armed with sub-machine guns will, for the first time, be on duty over the festive period.

It’s in response to the recent wave of gangland shootings in Dublin.

The Taoiseach is to meet with the Minister for Justice and Garda Commissioner tomorrow to discuss Garda resources, the tightening of the bail laws, and the need for speedier trials.

Michael McDowell has openly criticised what he calls “soft judges” who allow hardened criminals out on bail despite strong Garda objections.

A survey published this morning shows that 96 per cent of people questioned want the non-jury Special Criminal Court to deal with organised gangs.

BN.ie

17/12/2006 - 10:46:55

It’s emerged that over 3,000 people have been waiting over a year for surgery in public hospitals.

This is despite a Government target to ensure that no patient will be left waiting more than three months.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund is to publish new figures this week on the number of patients waiting for treatment.

It’s understood that for the first time, the five hospitals with the longest surgical waiting lists will be named.

Letterkenny General Hospital is reported to be the worst - with more than 1,100 adults waiting over a year for their operations, while Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda have over 500 patients waiting.

Sligo General Hospital and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin have more than 300 each.

BN.ie

16/12/2006 - 18:40:27

The Humanists Organisation of Ireland has called for the deletion of all religious references from the Irish Constitution.

It claimed that passages which refer to religion in the document discriminate against people who do not believe in God.

The organisation said this is just one example of how the State discriminates against people who do not have any religion.

Spokesperson Brendan Sheeran has claimed the Constitution effectively bars humanists from taking up certain roles, like counsel of state, judge or president.

Comparing the situation unfavourably to courtrooms, where witnesses have the choice to affirm rather than swear on the Bible, Mr Sheeran has said the Constitution should provide a similar option for atheists.

BN.ie

15/12/2006 - 15:05:59

The Government aims to create an English-Irish bilingual society over the next 20 years, it emerged today.

The Cabinet will launch its policy statement containing 13 key objectives on the Irish language next week.

Irish is due to become the 21st official working language of the European Union on January 1.

Translators are currently being trained to instantaneously translate Irish into English in the European Parliament.

When the Taoiseach visited the Parliament last month he and other MEPs spoke in Irish and it was immediately translated into English through headphones in the chamber.

The Cabinet will launch the Government’s policy statement in Farmleigh House on Tuesday, prior to the last Cabinet meeting of 2006.

A spokesperson said: “With a focus on the practical development of a bilingual society, the statement commits the Government to the development of a 20-year strategy based on 13 clear objectives.”