DUP warns against postponing elections
It would be an outrage if the British government were to pull at the last minute plans for an Assembly election in Northern Ireland, a Democratic Unionist candidate claimed today.
As the midnight deadline for the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Assembly approached, Alex Easton argued that it would be “an assault on democracy” if Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy were to postpone the vote for a second time because of the failure to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process.
“We have now reached the point where the British Ggovernment is seriously contemplating cancelling elections in this part of the United Kingdom because they fear what the result might be,” the North Down DUP candidate said.
“So desperate are they to keep (Ulster Unionist leader) David Trimble and his cronies in power and to keep the concessions to Sinn Fein/IRA coming that they are prepared to subjugate any concept of democracy for politically cynical reasons.
“Northern Ireland is not some sort of coconut colony in which the Northern Ireland Office mandarins can do as they please.
“We are full citizens of the United Kingdom and must be treated as such. To deny people a vote in a free and fair election is tantamount to establishing a dictatorship of one man – namely the Prime Minister.”
As efforts continued to revive the flagging Northern Ireland peace process, British and Irish government officials were today watching closely what Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams would say in a keynote address to party colleagues at Stormont.
Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness hinted yesterday that republicans could go public on the statement passed confidentially by the IRA to London and Dublin two weeks ago in a bid to move the peace process forward.
On Wednesday British Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted more clarity was needed from the Provisionals and publicly put three questions to the organisation.
He asked: “When the IRA say that their strategies and disciplines will not be inconsistent with the Good Friday Agreement, does that mean an end to all activities inconsistent with the Good Friday Agreement including targeting, procurement of weapons, so-called punishment beatings and so forth?
“Secondly, when they say that they are committed to putting arms beyond use through the decommissioning commission, does that mean all arms so that the process is complete?
“And thirdly, when they say that they support the Good Friday Agreement and want it to work, does that mean that if the two governments and other parties fulfil their obligations under the Good Friday agreement and the joint declaration, does that mean the complete and final closure of the conflict?”
There was speculation that Mr Adams would attempt to clarify the IRA’s position during today’s speech at Stormont.
However, as the clock ticked down to the election deadline, there was also speculation that the IRA could release its confidential statement publicly.
Ulster Unionist sources insisted today that what was needed from the IRA was a declaration that it was ending its armed struggle and abandoning all paramilitary activity.
“A gesture on decommissioning or re-engagement with the decommissioning body will not wash,” a UUP source said.
“This time there has to be a definitive statement ending all paramilitary activity if the process is to have credibility.”
In the event of no breakthrough, Mr Murphy will be under pressure to make a judgment call by tomorrow on whether Assembly elections should go ahead.
Many parties have booked advertising and completed filming of their election broadcasts in the hope that the poll will go ahead on May 29.
Several parties have also been planning candidate launches for this week but were mindful that the elections have already been postponed once before from May 1.
