Analysis of Hillsborough deal
08 February 2010
Analysis of the Hillsborough Deal by Keith Harbinson, solicitor and TUV Vice-Chairman:
IRA/Sinn Fein has long had the transfer of policing and justice to the terrorist-inclusive Executive as a key strategic demand. Their 2005 manifesto bluntly put it like this: “Our strategy is for a new all-Ireland policing and justice system. That cannot be achieved without the transfer of policing and justice powers away from London, into an Executive and Assembly and the all-Ireland institutions.”
Now, as a result of the weakening in the DUP’s negotiation capabilities brought about by their own internal problems, the ‘never never’ Party meekly rolled over and gifted them the prize they sought. But, of course, it will not be enough for insatiable Sinn Fein. Already, Gerry Adams is describing their victory as a ‘staging post’. A staging post to where – only the DUP don’t seem to get it, or is clinging to office just more important?
This is a bad and humiliating deal for Unionism. It’s a crushing 7-1 victory for IRA/Sinn Fein. Once more push-over Unionism has delivered the Sinn Fein agenda.
Sinn Fein got:
1) an early date, as demanded;
2) a veto in the Executive on every piece of Justice legislation and funding, as demanded;
3) Working Group to ensure progress on enhancing the Irish language;
4) work on the case for “additional bodies and areas of co-operation within the North South Ministerial Council”;
5) progress on the establishment of a North-South parliamentary forum;
6) work on the establishment of a North-South civic forum;
7) Working Group to recommend progress on a Single Equality Bill – a longstanding Sinn Fein demand.
And what did the DUP get in return – a review of a review of the Parades Commission!
But in the meantime the Parades Commission stays, maybe to be replaced eventually with a system of enforced dialogue between the Loyal Orders and republican objectors and adjudicators appointed by the Joint First Ministers. How allowing Martin McGuinness to appoint his own placemen as adjudicators is likely to resolve parading issues is not clear to us, but the DUP trumpet it as a great victory!
Items 3-7 above are key Sinn Fein demands that are now embedded in the Hillsborough Agreement and if not advanced to their satisfaction in the near future, will provide their next focus of grievance. At a time of their choosing IRA/Sinn Fein will once again hold government to ransom, threaten collapse and extract fresh concessions. Little wonder Sinn Fein constantly refer to “the process” and “staging posts”. The truth is Sinn Fein left Hillsborough triumphant and on the way to their next staging post as a result.
If ever there was poor negotiating, this was it. Nothing to rectify the chaos in education, nothing to secure a proper definition of ‘victim’, nothing of substance for Unionism to off-set the runaway concessions to Sinn Fein, nothing to ensure good Government for the people of Northern Ireland. And, all this in the context of multiple phoney pledges and pre-conditions:
- Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds spoke of political lifetimes. Gregory Campbell added 6 years to the mix. Lord Morrow promised this Assembly would never have policing & justice powers.
- Jeffrey Donaldson once made the abolition of the IRA Army Council a pre-condition, but now it can stay. He then guaranteed retention of the Full-time Police Reserve, but now it can go!
- The Parades Commission had to go, now a review of a review is enough!
Remember too, this is only an interim deal till May 2012, when negotiations will once more be foisted upon us. Then, Sinn Fein will be back for more. Old Bailey Bomber Kelly's ambition to be your Justice Minister is merely delayed. Meantime, of course, Sinn Fein gets some immediate Justice powers, because the moment policing and justice is devolved Martin McGuinness, as Joint First Minister, gets to jointly appoint the Attorney General and the Judicial Appointments Commission. So, straightaway, McGuinness, the personification of the wicked campaign which murdered judges - something he has never said was wrong - gets to handpick those who will appoint our judges. Originally, he was even to have more direct power but TUV exposure of the DUP ignoring these issues in the Executive Review Committee embarrassed them into securing changes in 2008.
Among the big lies deployed to sell this sell out to IRA/Sinn Fein is the pretence that devolving policing & justice to Stormont is in the likeness of Carson. What an insult. Carson’s life and legacy was devoted to keeping Ulster out of republican control; gifting policing and justice to a terrorist-inclusive Executive is the very antithesis of traditional Unionism.
Sadly, the DUP’s legacy is of empowering republicanism, first as Joint First Minister and now by transferring policing & justice to an Executive in which IRA/Sinn Fein holds a toxic veto.
The TUV position is very clear: the organisation which murdered policemen and judges should not get within a devolutionary mile of policing & justice.
Finally, I would like to ask why Brian Cowen was even at Hillsborough? The devolution of policing & justice is a Strand 1 issue, something supposedly for the UK and NI parties alone. Yet, there was a foreign Prime Minister meddling in the middle of it all, without a whimper of protest from the DUP. Having given us joint authority with IRA/Sinn Fein in Stormont, it seems the DUP has now bought into the architecture of an even wider form of joint authority!
