This morning’s Irish Times has an editorial headed “Northern Ireland: divining Sinn Féin’s intentions”. Even from the heading you might be tempted to guess what was coming up, and if you succumbed to that temptation you’d probably be right. The editorial criticises Sinn Féin for not getting on with the job and setting up a new Executive. It also commends the DUP:
“The depressing thing is that just as the DUP line has softened, the Sinn Féin position appears to have hardened.”
You didn’t know the DUP line had softened? Wrong, wrong, wrong.
“DUP leader Arlene Foster has adopted a noticeably more conciliatory approach during the current election campaign, using a few words of Irish during a visit to a Catholic school in Newry and penning an opinion piece suggesting a common approach to Brexit.”
Maybe it was too late for the Newspaper of Record to include Arlene’s remarks about the blonde, made-up appearance of the woman who would be her co-equal in any new Executive. But it certainly wasn’t too late for the Newspaper of Record to point out that a Bill of Rights had been promised in the Good Friday Agreement and has yet – nearly twenty years later- to be delivered on. Nor was it too late for the N of R to point out that an Irish Language Act was promised in the St Andrew’s Agreement and has not been delivered on. Nor too late for the N of R to note that Arlene has compared the main nationalist party to a crocodile.
But the N of R does find time and room to indicate that “if it [Sinn Féin} shows itself incapable of exercising power in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin’s credibility as a potential party of government in the Republic will suffer.”
Sinn Féin ran in the last election on the need for a Bill of Rights, for an Irish Language Act, for the DUP leader to stand aside while an investigation into her – let me use a polite word – botched Renewable Heating Initiative is conducted. The electorate returned Sinn Féin candidates with a resounding endorsement.
Essentially, the N of R is calling on Sinn Féin to go back on its electoral promises and go back into an Executive with a partner who repeatedly shows contempt for things Irish. Forget about the fact that past Agreements haven’t been lived up to. Get back in there and carry on as though nothing was the matter.
Uh-uh. The nationalist cheek in the North has been turned too often.
Choíche go deo! – Never again!
The article is basically trying to divine SF intentions.
Do they want to return to power sharing with the DUP or do they see a better option as letting Direct Rule return and then be able to “adopt a populist anti-government strategy on both sides of the border”.
So do they want really want to return to powersharing in the North or not?
It seems a fair enough question to me
Here is the article
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorial/northern-ireland-divining-sinn-f%C3%A9in-s-intentions-1.3081030
Thanks Gio for supplying the link to the ‘article’. The Unionist Times is certainly living up to its name. Do you not feel even slightly embarrassed at lending your support to such drivel. I am sure Sinn Fein will do what they feel is right for all the people of this island and they do not need any lectures from the so called ‘paper of record’.
James
You are welcome.
I am not sure what you think I am supporting.
The article seemed to me to be asking a question and it is one which I wonder about myself. I have said before it might be worth considering from a SF point of view whether they would be better outside of government in the North.
It would allow them to push their own agenda more wholeheartedly without this dilemma of administering British rule and trying to make Northern Ireland work (though not being able to say Northern Ireland).
What should SF do to do what is right?
It’s not that they are unable to say Northern Ireland; rather they choose not to. But you already knew that didn’t you!
Do you think that Sinn Féin should go back into government with the DUP as if nothing had happened? Do you think that the pledges Sinn Féin made to their electorate to get their votes should be reneged on? Do you think that the ‘good governance of the province’ is more important than a principled stand against the last ten years of humiliation and arrogance?
agree with all you have said fiosrach.
The article is either ignorant or deliberately omitting vital facts. It talks about the problems being encountered being already dealt with under Haass and fresh start etc but vitally neglects to mention the failure of implementation of past agreements – the central tenet to SF’s demands.
Asking political parties to abide by past agreements seems reasonable to me.
It,s the Irish Times. Why the surprise. ?
no mention in the article of the wages still being paid.funny how they leave the important matters out.
I think Sinn Fein have made it crystal clear when they will be prepared to re-enter the Executive. It isn’t a mystery to be divined by the Irish Times if they’d actually watched a little more closely to what is actually going on.. There is no puzzle to be unwound. If they had been watching closely they’d know that already. Anyone who voted for Sinn Fein , obviously knows that already too .There were no vagaries or untruths such as were evident in the Brexit campaign, for example . The only way to share government with unionism was to see the agreements they’d shared and signed up to , fully implemented.That hasn’t been done. The DUP hasn’t moved in any perceivable way. They’ve done a little cute window -dressing what with their Irish Language “outreach project” , which seems to be largely bogus and attempted to backtrack from the hole they’d dug for themselves over the RHI scandal, but in essence they remain largely unreconstituted. This is a stalling exercise or an attempt to tweak or re-write the agreements.
The Irish Times might like to ask themselves what platform Sinn Fein ran their last election campaign on, which accrued a great deal of new voters and compare it to how they are currently running this present one. Not much has changed really.They’ve said many times there will be no return to “the status quo”. That is simple enough.That means that they are not prepared to waste any more time and money on an old vehicle which has proven to be unroadworthy.That’s what their voters have decided and agreed to vote on ,so unless the agreements already made are honoured they’ll not be pretending that all is well and good by opening those doors again.If Sinn fein do otherwise , they’ll have broken the bond they’ve made with those voters.
paddy
I am not clear as to which part of the article you are disagreeing with specifically.
They are not expressing puzzlement about what SF want,they are asking if SF now are considering they might be better off strategically staying out of government in the North.
That is surely a possibility at least?
In opposition they do not have to implement any British budget cuts, or get their hands dirty with any Brexit fallout which they would surely be caught up in if in government.
Is it possible SF are considering that option?
It is not as if any of the issues being raised have not already been covered in the Stormont House and Fresh Start agreements which have their origins in the Haas process. The bottom line is that the foundations for an agreement are already in place and all it will take is a political commitment by Sinn Féin and the DUP to make the necessary compromises to get the executive up and running again.
All done and agreed in good faith by sinn fein , only for the British and the unionist to act in bad faith , the bill of rights was agreed 20 years ago the Irish language act 18 years ago inquests into deaths carried out by British agents in the guise of the uff /uvf /udr delayed in many cases for 40+ years , British army murders in Ballymurphy , Newlodge road 1971 and 1973 respectively not to mention the 100’s of other murders committed all across the north and the border areas of the south plus the Dublin , Monaghan bombings not yet heard and no one held to account, as the irish media now start a campaign to sanitise Cpt Robert Naric who was a British counter terrorist agent who used RUC UVF British Army and the UDR to commit 100’S OF MURDERS INCLUDING THE MIAMI SHOWBAND
The Dublin 4 west Brits are saying-Lads, stop messing around! We know you have to put up with those mad DUP people, who want to be your betters. But you should listen to your real betters, us of course, and just humour those intransigents. After all, don´t you want us folks in Dublin´s salubrious areas to have a quiet life. Your Betters deserve it after all.
Can’t put it better than JC , so say no more!
A dearth of news perhaps , when this drivel is presented as an editorial . Meybe some pertinant questions should have been asked before castigating Sinn Fein
1/ Why did the most respected politician in Ireland feel the need to resign ?
2/ Who all benefited and are still doing so from RHI?
3/ Why was public money syphoned off into Orange halls?
4/ Why is Britain not impartial as requied by the GFA
5/ What has the Government in the 26 been doling….they are co-guarantors of the agreement 6/Why did May call a snap election in the middle of talks?
I could go on indefinitely but what’s the point !
Even cursory reflection upon the Irish Times ownership ( ‘the trust’ ) reveals all you need to know. More CBEs than you could shake a stick at and proudly announcing to have been the first newspaper within, “the British isles” to have its own website… ! Excruciating.
It seems like the Irish Times is competing for the Fake News championships!