British govt warned against easing pressure on SF
The British government was tonight warned any attempt to ease pressure on Sinn Féin over the transfer of policing and justice powers will end in failure.
As behind-the-scenes efforts continued to persuade Sinn Féin to call a meeting of its national executive to debate whether to have a special conference on policing, Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds claimed Gerry Adams’s party was boxed into a corner on the issue.
The North Belfast MP also warned republicans his party would give no date for the transfer of powers until Sinn Féin had publicly endorsed the Police Service of Northern Ireland and proven its words were for real.
“The DUP has made it clear time and time again that we will not be giving any date for the devolution of policing and justice powers,” Mr Dodds stressed.
“With Sinn Féin now increasingly boxed into a corner on this issue, the or government will no doubt be trying to ease the pressure on them. Such a strategy is doomed to failure.
“It is for Sinn Féin and the Republican Movement to deliver full and unequivocal support for the PSNI, the courts and the rule of law, and to prove it over a credible period.
“There is nothing required to be done by the DUP except to await delivery by Sinn Féin.”
Republican support for policing is seen as being the key ingredient of prime minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s plan to restore power sharing.
With the DUP leader, Ian Paisley, indicating he will share power with Sinn Féin in the event of it honouring its obligations, focus has switched to Gerry Adams’s party.
Sinn Féin is the only one of the four parties who would qualify for cabinet posts in a power sharing executive which refuses to publicly support the PSNI or encourage its voters to co-operate with police investigations.
Both governments believe the prize of Sinn Féin support for policing is within their grasp.
However, if Gerry Adams’s party is to the change its policy on the PSNI, he will first have to call a meeting of his national executive and secure two thirds backing for a special party conference on the issue.
Mr Adams and Sinn Féin’s policing spokesman Gerry Kelly, who have both received police warnings that they are being targeted by dissident republicans, have warned the party needs a date from the DUP for the devolution of policing and justice from Westminster to Stormont before they can change policy.
They also want agreement from the DUP on the type of government department that will handle justice and policing powers and assurances that MI5 will have no future role in policing.
The DUP insists Sinn Féin must move first, endorsing the PSNI and then demonstrating its support for the police on the ground before the devolution of policing and justice can be contemplated. Time is running out fast for political progress within the timetable set by Mr Blair and Mr Ahern.
With the Northern Ireland Assembly due to be dissolved on January 30 to prepare for a fresh Stormont election on March 7, it is believed in some political circles Mr Adams will have to call a meeting of his national executive and the special party conference next month if deadlines are to be met.
Sinn Féin has rejected a DUP proposal to break the deadlock which suggested the Minister for Policing and Justice could be selected by a different method from other devolved ministers.
Instead of being allocated the ministry under the D’Hondt system for sharing out cabinet posts according to party strength at Stormont, the DUP proposed the minister would have to receive 70% or more support in an Assembly vote.
This, the party argued, would guarantee the minister had the support of both communities and could mean a cross community Alliance Party candidate could put his or her name forward along with the DUP, Sinn Féin, Ulster Unionists and nationalist SDLP hopefuls.
Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Ulster Unionists rejected the proposal which was put to them at a meeting of the Stormont Programme for Government Committee’s policing and justice sub-group last Thursday.
They argued if the 70% model were adopted it would mean the minister would effectively be at the mercy of the DUP within the Assembly.
The three parties also dismissed DUP suggestions that the minister would not have a vote in cabinet meetings.
It is understood in a bid to break the impasse the government has also sounded out the SDLP about choosing the policing and justice portfolio as one of its two devolved ministries on the basis that this would be more acceptable to the DUP than a Sinn Féin minister and would allow the transfer of powers to take place.
Mr Dodds said tonight after all years of bloodshed and violence inflicted by the IRA, there was no question his party would allow Sinn Féin to immediately have control or influence over policing and justice.
“Having consigned generations of people in Northern Ireland to the deepest nightmare of violence and terror, Sinn Féin cannot complain when unionists say rightly that it will be a political lifetime before such people could ever have control or influence over policing and justice,” the former Stormont Social Development Minister said.
“Unionists will examine any proposals for devolution of policing and justice in this light to ensure this does not happen.
“Sinn Féin’s ludicrous assertion that it must be given a timetable for political devolution of policing and justice powers before agreeing to support the police is not supported by any other party. It is time its hypocrisy was exposed.”
