Republican News · Thursday 31 October 2002

New Direct Ruler, same crisis

Speaking after John Reid was replaced as Six-County direct ruler by Paul Murphy, Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said it's not the personalities we should be focusing on, but the fact there remains a British Secretary of State in Ireland with extraordinary powers in regards to issues such as the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and policing change.

Paul Murphy is familiar with politics in the North as he was Political Development Minister during Mo Mowlam's time as Secretary of State from 1997 to 1999 and was Mowlam's right hand man when all political parties signed up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1999. The new British Secretary of State pledged his commitment to fully implement the Good Friday Agreement.

Gerry Kelly told An Phoblacht it is imperative that the institutions are restored immediately and that meaningful change is actively brought about.

"John Reid in the space of two years and at the behest of unionists suspended the institutions three times and therefore failed to grasp the imperative of the peace process," he said. "Instead of pushing for the quick implementation of the Agreement, he instead chose to lecture us on the cold house for unionism; in his wake Murphy has his work cut out."