Murphy the Incompetent preserved by absurd Stormont system
17 January 2011
Responding to Conor Murphy’s statement in the Assembly on the water crisis, TUV Leader Jim Allister said, “It is not political opportunism, but political realism to say that a Minister who presides over such catastrophic failure of a basic service should resign. In any other system, where basic political accountability prevailed, such a failed minister would be long since gone. But, in the absurd system and world of Stormont Murphy can thumb his nose at the public he failed and cynically cling to office.
“Murphy’s brazen excuse-making today and passing of the parcel to blame to anyone but himself, demonstrates why Stormont has lost so much credibility with ordinary citizens. The promise of devolution was of local accountability, the reality shows that promise was a con.
"The inescapable lesson from this debacle is that neither accountable nor good government are possible under the rigged form of devolution which presently prevails in Stormont. Mandatory coalition rewards and protects incompetence, because the party fiefdoms are inviolable, whereas worthwhile and accountable devolution, with a vibrant Opposition, means failed ministers are sacked. But, here in this absurd system ministers are not answerable to the Executive, the Assembly or the people, but only to their party, which in Sinn Fein’s case means the worse the minister performs, be it Ruane or Murphy, the more secure they are."
