RIP Stormont 2.0, 2007 - 2015
Quote:
Northern Ireland’s first minister has resigned with the region’s power-sharing government on the brink of collapse over police allegations that the IRA still exists.
Peter Robinson’s announcement came after his Democratic Unionist party, the largest in the Stormont assembly, was defeated in a vote to suspend the assembly for emergency talks to take place.
Robinson will be replaced as temporary first minister by his DUP colleague Arlene Foster, he said on Thursday, and most of the party’s ministers would also resign.
Robinson had given an ultimatum that unless the UK prime minister, David Cameron, uses executive powers to adjourn business at the Northern Ireland assembly, the Democratic Unionist party will withdraw from the executive in Belfast.
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Summary
• Sinn Fein's Northern Ireland branch chairman was arrested due to suspected involvement in the murder of a former IRA-man carried out by the IRA
• The UUP withdrew from the Northern Ireland Executive
• The DUP threatened to withdraw from the Northern Ireland Executive if the Assembly wasn't adjourned for crisis talks
• The DUP's motion for an adjournment was rejected by Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the UUP
• The DUP First Minister has now resigned and the other DUP Executive ministers are expected to resign shortly
• Without the DUP (the largest party) participating in the Assembly and without the DUP and UUP participating in the Executive, the Assembly will
have to be suspended and control will return to Westminster
Context
• In 1921, the Republic of Ireland was granted independence by Westminster but Northern Ireland (the 6 counties) remained part of the UK as there was a unionist majority
• Northern Ireland is a polarised society and thus so is its politics. The DUP and UUP are the main unionist (Protestant) parties while Sinn Fein and the SDLP are the main nationalist (Catholic) parties. The Alliance party is the largest cross-community party
• Unionists want NI to remain part of the UK while nationalists want NI to become part of the Republic of Ireland
• From 1969 - 1998, all hell broke loose in Northern Ireland in the period referred to as 'The Troubles'. Violence broke out, with frequent bombings, massacres and murders. The IRA was notorious for its campaign of terrorism during the Troubles, while the UVF and UDA were examples of Protestant paramilitaries that also committed acts of terrorism
• In 1998, a peace settlement was reached whereby NI would be granted devolution of powers, with Stormont acting as the government building and a system of power-sharing between all 5 main political parties being implemented
• In 2002, the Assembly was suspended due to the activity of the IRA and unionist doubts about the IRA having decommissioned
• In 2007, the Assembly finally resumed with the two main extreme parties (the DUP and Sinn Fein) miraculously getting along and acting as the main coalition partners along with the UUP, SDLP and Alliance. There have been no suspensions (at the time of writing) since 2007
such a backwards country. It should literally be sold to Germany for the refugees.