DUP accused of corrupting policing negotiations
28/10/2009 - 14:40:53Sinn Féin today accused its Democratic Unionist partners in government of corrupting negotiations to devolve policing powers to Stormont by introducing another pre-condition to the move – this time on the issue of Orange parades.
Republicans reacted angrily to DUP Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson‘s assertion his party would only agree to transferring law and order responsibilities from Westminster if changes were made to the current process of managing contentious events in the summer marching season.
Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd said Mr Robinson’s demand was an attempt to erect another obstacle in the way of a deal after outstanding financial issues were resolved last week, when Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled a £1bn (€1.1bn) package to support the region‘s new justice department.
“What the DUP are doing is corrupting the political process by bringing in yet another pre-condition,” said the Upper Bann representative.
He said the issue of parades was not directly linked to policing and justice devolution.
“Policing and justice is a stand alone issue,” he added. “The budget has been sorted out – Peter Robinson told us in New York (earlier this month) that once the budget was sorted he would come back and he would fulfil has part of the agreement and here we have another what appears to be a pre-condition placed on the table.”
During lengthy talks with No 10, the DUP repeatedly stressed the need to secure a good financial package to accompany the transfer.
However, the party denies it is now introducing new pre-conditions, claiming that the parading issue is one of a number of so-called confidence building measures it has called for from the outset of negotiations.
A review of parading in the North is currently being carried out by former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown. He has made interim recommendations that would see local councils take over the responsibility for managing parades from the existing Parades Commission.
Mr Robinson, who wants to see the commission scrapped altogether, told the House of Commons last night that it was essential to find an agreed way forward on parading before devolution could take place.
He also accused Sinn Féin of blocking the publication of Mr Ashdown‘s final report.
In a DUP-led debate in Westminster, the First Minister said: “To leave these issues (parading) unresolved and to devolve powers of policing and justice would plant a seed at the heart of government in Northern Ireland which I believe would be corrosive and divisive and which ultimately could in fact be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
He claimed the commission was “not a solution to problems but part of the problem itself.”
But Mr O‘Dowd said the DUP leader was stalling on devolution in a bid to placate hard line members of his party who, he said, were inherently opposed to working with Sinn Féin.
“I don‘t think it‘s only Sinn Féin that have concerns about the DUP‘s commitment to this process,” he said.
“It is my view that there are individuals within the DUP who are stalling the process, who are re-writing the script at each occasion – as we cross each hurdle presented to us there‘s a new one presented and I think there are individuals within the DUP who are opposed to powersharing and therefore are opposed to the transfer of policing and justice.”
While the vast majority of parades in the North pass off without controversy, a small number of high profile events continue to be a source of disagreement.
In such instances the Parades Commission rules on whether the event can proceed and, if so, what restrictions should be placed on it.
Orangemen and unionists have been critical of the body in the past, accusing it of denying them their long standing rights to walk routes they have followed for hundreds of years.
One of the most contentious parades is in Portadown, Co Armagh, where the local Orange lodge has been prevented from marching down the nationalist Garvaghy Road for more than a decade.
Breandan Mac Cionnaith from the Garvaghy Road Residents’ Coalition today accused the DUP of playing the ’Orange card’ to achieve political concessions.
“The timing of DUP’s present political offensive suggest that the DUP see the parades issue as some form of bargaining tool in the wider political arena,” he said.
He said the review of parading was unnecessary and unhelpful. In regard to Portadown, he said nationalists residents had moved on and would not accept any renewed bid to force a parade through their neighbourhoods.
“The parades issue is one which belongs in the past and should remain there, and must not be allowed to be resurrected by anyone in order to suit party political agendas or narrow sectarian interests,” he said.
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