So the 48-hour deadline for a deal to be reached has passed, but the UK and Irish governments have not laid down their proposals as threatened. Once again Northern Irish politics has shown it is a unique, some may say peculiar entity. Most people will ask – why haven’t the UK and Irish governments told those pesky Stormont politicians how it’s going to be done and the answer is simple, the only solution, workable and lasting solution, is one which will spring from the DUP and Sinn Fein. If they don’t hammer one out, then nothing presented from upon high will fix the situation and years of Northern Ireland have illustrated this time and time again.
Now we appear to be edging closer to a deal. Dermot Ahern’s (Irish Minister for Justice) glimmer of hope still shines. There is always a sense of grandiose about Northern Irish deals – a language alone could be invented for their ability to take the concept of ‘eleventh hour’ breakthroughs to a whole new level. For every instance of gridlock in the long road since 1998, each time consensus was reached it occurred just at the point when all hope was practically at the point of abandon and each time that point is pushed further and further.
Today Gregory Campbell (DUP) has suggested that any agreement must be discussed with the people before it can be finalised; an idea which Gerry Adams finds particularly intriguing, especially if the DUP is to seek the views of the entire community. Imagery pervades.
Interestingly as the length of the current stalemate continues (to a point) my confidence mounts that a solution will be found. Neither the DUP nor Sinn Fein are walking away, both sides show a genuine commitment to identifying a workable solution, underlining that they are not prepared to let what may be considered as one of the largest stumbling blocks in recent devolution’s history, derail the assembly. Last week I was sceptical, day 7 and optimism is growing.
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