A week of decisive political activity
When roaming the corridors of Stormont this week, it was impossible
to not be hit by the electricity in the air. Yes, once again,
something was happening. Cameras lined under the Grand Hall steps and
polished shoes kept on rapping the marble. The 15 February date was
seen as a landmark of the peace process. And it would receive the
appropriate attention.
Even if the vote was inevitably delayed, the latest efforts to clear
the ultimate hurdle to the setting-up of the Assembly executive were
finally rewarded on Tuesday. After two days of sometimes heated
debates, a watershed vote in favour of the structures of the new
bodies provided for in the Agreement unfolded.
The overwhelming backing for the Final Document puts pressure on
British Secretary of State Mo Mowlam to trigger the establishment of
the shadow Executive. It is now expected that Mowlam will move to
issue the standing orders which will allocate the Ministries to the
various parties under the d'Hondt attribution system.
The vote also paved the way for the first substantial meeting between
a Sinn Féin and an Ulster Unionist Party delegation. That meeting was
held on Wednesday morning at Stormont. Talking afterwards, Gerry
Adams said, ``this is about pro-Agreement and anti-Agreement parties.
The majority of the people of the island have voted in support of
this Agreement. Irish republicans and Unionists have to get it in our
heads that we are on the same side. That's challenging. Today's
meeting is just the beginning to scratching the surface of what needs
to be done.''
Landscape victory
On Tuesday, during the long-awaited vote, a clear majority of the
Assembly backed the Final Document that outlined the technical
details of the setting-up of the Assembly Executive, the all-Ireland
Ministerial Council, all-Ireland implementation bodies and the Civic
Forum.
Tuesday's most important motion, on the Final document, was accepted
by a total of 77 members of the Assembly and opposed by 29 Unionists.
Only one member of the Ulster Unionist Party voted against the
motion. It came as no surprise as Peter Weir had already signalled
his opposition to the deal. 100% of the nationalist members backed
the document and 50% of Unionists.
In other terms, the vote signalled a clear victory to the
pro-Agreement parties and totally crushed the anti-Agreement party's
potential.
The highly positive vote proved that David Trimble's hand over his
party was ``rock solid'', as indicated by Martin McGuinness.
Talking after the vote, Martin McGuinness said: ``this is another good
day for the peace process''. He however stressed that the
responsibility now lay on the Irish and British governments to set up
the shadow executive in time for the transfer of powers from London
to Belfast on 10 March.
Heated debates
The vote came after a number of heated debates. Progressive Unionist
Party member and UVF political representative Billy Hutchinson opened
a heated debate when he accused Sinn Féin of damaging pro-Agreement
unionists by presenting the Agreement as the road to a United
Ireland.
``I'm quite prepared to accommodate Sinn Féin, DUP or anyone else, but
the point is, there is no united Ireland. There was never going to be
any united Ireland,'' he said. He also criticised Martin McGuinness
for bringing part of a loyalist grenade into the chamber the previous
day.
On Monday, the debate was marked by some angry comments from the DUP
directed at Sinn Féin. During his speech, Martin McGuinness stressed
that, during this time of political vacuum, nationalists are
continuing to be targeted by loyalist death squads.
Barry McElduff also intervened to remind the Assembly of the
thousands of legally held loyalist and unionist guns. Dara O'Hagan
highlighted the ongoing siege of the Portadown nationalist residents.
Mitchel McLaughlin talked about the ``new political dispensation'' that
was promised by the Good Friday Agreement and the new partnership
that had to be built with unionism.
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