Sinn Fein British agent shot dead

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh dear...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4877516.stm

[patrick1]

Not a surprising fate for a quisling.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not a surprising fate for a quisling.

Well no... this sort of thing used to happen all the time.. but it comes at exactly the wrong time in the peace process for it to happen. It's alreay being seen as the biggest crisis to hit the peace process since the last one.

EDIT: and the IRA are sayin that it had nowt to do with them

[patrick1]

Not a surprising fate for a quisling.

Well no... this sort of thing used to happen all the time.. but it comes at exactly the wrong time in the peace process for it to happen. It's alreay being seen as the biggest crisis to hit the peace process since the last one.

EDIT: and the IRA are sayin that it had nowt to do with them

Hey all it takes is one inactive provo with an axe to grind.  You know someone who was sent to the Maze or otherwise compromised by his spying.  This supergrass should at least have had the sense to leave the country. 

[Јas]

This will have a very significant impact on the upcoming devolution moves. The Taoiseach has told the Dáil that gardaí became aware of Donaldson's presence in January, and visited him to advise him that there was a perceived threat against his life.

I would also note that the tabloid Sunday World revealed Donaldson's whereabouts just the other week.

[Јas]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4881530.stm

From the statement:
"The Assembly's primary responsibility would be to elect a First and Deputy First Minister as soon as possible, to allocate Ministerial posts under the d'Hondt formula and to make other preparations for Government within Northern Ireland and in the North/South and East/West fields. There is a great deal of work to be done. The Governments will do all in their power to restore the institutions and return devolved Government to those elected by the people of Northern Ireland.
 
As soon as the Assembly elects a First and Deputy First Minister on a cross-community basis and forms an Executive, power will automatically be devolved to the Assembly, as happened in December 1999, and all its functions will be resumed. At that point the British Government's power to suspend the Assembly will lapse for good."

...

"If by 24 November the Assembly has failed to achieve this, we do not believe that any purpose would be served by a further election at that point or a few months later in May 2007. We do not think that the people of Northern Ireland should be asked to participate in elections to a deadlocked Assembly.

There would be no choice but to cancel salaries and allowances for MLAs and to defer restoration of the Assembly and Executive until there is a clear political willingness to exercise devolved power. The Governments would, of course, stand ready to facilitate full restoration when all parties indicate such willingness.

If restoration of the Assembly and Executive has to be deferred, the Governments agree that this will have immediate implications for their joint stewardship of the process. We are beginning detailed work on British-Irish partnership arrangements that will be necessary in these circumstances to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement, which is the indispensable framework for relations on and between these islands, is actively developed across its structures and functions.

This work will be shaped by the commitment of both Governments to a step-change in advancing North-South co-operation and action for the benefit of all."
Of course in the aftermath of the Donaldon murder, things are still somewhat up in the air, and Unionists therefore will be even more hesitant than usual.

A fair amount of attention has been paid in the media here to the apparant increased say of the Republic in Northern affairs should the November deadline pass without an executive in place. This could be enough to spur the Unionist side to make progress towards a deal.