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Spin Féin
Read more about: Nationalism, Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, Unionism
Before I say anything negative about the events of last Sunday, I’d like to make it perfectly clear that in the grand scheme of things I do recognize that the outcome was a good thing for the peace process.
I do, however, have some concerns, for what they’re worth.
Let’s remember that the Good Friday Agreement was back in 1998. At least the DUP never claimed to approve of it, but I seem to recall the Shinners were actually in favour of it way back then, yet it has taken them this long to actually back it.
Why should they take credit for delivering something that’s almost ten years late?
Sunday’s Ard Fheis was little more than a stage-managed election rally for both sides of the border. I reckon they would have gotten the same vote on policing months ago. If I am to praise the Shinners for anything, it has to be for political spin.
And loathe as I am to see where the DUP are coming from, I don’t exactly blame them if they adopt a “believe it when we see it” approach towards this new-found attitude. The proof of this joint policing board pudding will definitely have to be in the eating.
I really, really do want a positive future for the people of the north, as do the majority of people on the island. There’s just something about all of this that doesn’t seem to sit right. Maybe the picture will be clearer after elections are held in March.
Besides, the Extremist parties have been calling the shots for a few years now. Every twist or turn on the road has been orchestrated by either Adams or Paisley. If that isn’t power sharing I don’t know what is!!!
quiet true
Hold the front page! Political party presents its policies to its best political advantage!
Though the shinners may have dragged their heels on full implementation of the GFA, so did everyone else. We still don’t have the full implementation of Patten! It’s called politics … get used to it.
Very well argued.
We are tod that 62% of those who responded to the Poll - on the right - have no wish to have Sinn Fein/IRA in government in the 26 counties.
Tony Blair would sell the other 6 counties to Bertie Ahern today -f or a penny - if one must name a price.
The people of the UK would love to get rid of them.
The only people interested are the natives of Ulster.
Let them get on with it.
Then Bertie Ahern might start staying at home and governing Ireland - the job he was voted to carry out and for which he is overpaid.
Dermot Ahern is in charge of Foreign Affairs. Let him get on with it.
Bertie has major problems in his own back yard. he doesn’t have to go to Dubai to solve them.
Trade with foreign countries is handled daily by the private sector marketing managers.
*sigh*
For a document used in arguments so often, the Good Friday Agreement seems to be surprisingly little read. Nowhere in the GFA is there a commitment to policing required. It doesn’t exist. Similar issues relating to the GFA have arised around political prisoners and decommissioning, for the most part because people didn’t bother to read it before voting in favour of it.
Sinn Féin’s decision on Sunday, whether you support it, oppose it or welcome it, is going BEYOND the commitments they made in the Good Friday Agreement. The DUP have yet to come up to the GFA’s minimum threshold.
Put ‘Good Friday Agreement’ into Google, download it, make a cup of coffee and have a bit of an ould read.
Good Friday agreement on policing.
Actively supported by the entire community. Says work with the policing structures to me.
It certainly does when you quote it out of context. The policing section of the GFA outlined the kind of police force that the participants would like to see. It didn’t claim such a police force existed. That’s why the section immediately after that outlines the process by which future policing structures can be created that would meet the description you outline above.
One can hardly argue that Sinn Féin failed to abide by the GFA because they did not support a police force or police structures that did not exist at the time. Well, obviously people can argue it, but they also argue that the GFA doesn’t cover Castlerea prisoners and that it required decommissioning within two years and are still wrong.
Enda : Wow, if only politicians could get away with your last sentence!!!! It would get them out of a lot of tricky press conferences!!!
I hardly think the “well no-one else has done it either” excuse really washes, does it? I was giving my opinion on Sinn Féin in this case, and I have been known to sound off on the other players in my day as well. It’s called blogging, get used to it
Simon : Thanks for saving me from googling/coffee making. Well - I already had the coffee made, so now I guess that gives me time to google “Jerry McCabe” for a bit of light reading.
Jonah : *sigh* That wonderful word “context”. Anyone with half an eye on the Peace Process knows that the GFA was written with BUCKETS of wiggle room in an attempt to get everyone on board. Speaking of coming on board, I wouldn’t expect the DUP to plan on “coming up to a minimum threshold” anytime soon, since as I recall, they never approved of its wording wiggle room or no, which is a topic for a whole other post.
Whether or not supporting the police is implied in the GFA, it’s something SF and anyone hoping to be in government should do as a matter of course anyway. I’m glad they got it done, but I don’t believe they deserve praise for it.