Northern Ireland Assembly

Yesterday marked an historic day in Irish history marking the start of a power sharing agreement in the Northern Ireland Assembly which devolves, or restores home rule, the government of the region. New First Minister Dr. Ian Paisley (left in picture), member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said, “I believe that Northern Ireland has come to a time of peace, a time when hate will no longer rule.” Sinn Féin member and new deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (right in picture) and Paisley were not seen shaking hands during the swearing-in but according to the Irish Times, “their relationship appeared relaxed and cordial.”

Peace in the North long in the making

As one of my Irish friends once told me, the struggle between Ireland (the Republic) and “The North” is one of the longest wars in history, dating back to the 12th century during the rule of Henry II. A journalist I met while on a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland this January suggested that there will never be peace in Ireland until the six counties in Ulster are restored to form a full 32 county Republic. Since the beginning of The Troubles from 1969, over 3,500 people have died through 2001. The Good Friday agreement, signed on that day in 1998, established the Northern Ireland Assembly and devolved government. There have been several suspensions of the Assembly since 1998, and yesterday’s restoration marked a new era with agreement in the Executive to share political power amongst both Unionists and Nationalists.

As I’ve said before, I’m not in a very good position to form an opinion one way or another about the Northern Ireland Assembly, but I do know that May 8 is an historic day that hopefully will restore peace to Ireland.

I took this while in Belfast, Northern Ireland and submitted it to the “America” theme on JPG magazine.

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They finally managed to do it. The DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams have managed to reach an accord that restores self government to Northern Ireland and divides the power in the Northern Ireland Assembly Executive after an hour long meeting in Stormont’s Parliament Buildings dining room. Rev Paisley will take the First Minister position while Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin will hold the Executive office of Deputy First Minister.

Today marked the deadline of reaching an agreement between the loyalists and the Irish Republicans in the Executive, otherwise the newly elected Assembly would have been dissolved as it has been since October 2002.

Rev Ian Paisley

“Our goal has been to see devolution returned in a context where it can make a real, meaningful improvement in the lives of all the people of this part of the United Kingdom.”

Gerry Adams

“I believe the agreement reached between Sinn Féin and the DUP - including the unequivocal commitment made by their party executive and reiterated today - to the restoration of political institutions on 8 May marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island.”

Devolution of Government

The two sides voted on a resolution to form the new administration on Saturday as Paisley and McGuinness pledged a six week test of Sinn Féin’s support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The parties certainly have much work ahead to mend wounds and settle differences, but this historic agreement is a big step forward. I write all of this as a bystander, so if you have grown up in Ireland I would love to hear what you think about this new found power sharing agreement.

*UPDATE*
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My father in law just sent me this story about a new exhibit at the National Gallery in Dublin called Treasures from the North: Irish Paintings. The Ulster Museum (Northern Ireland) is closed until 2009 for remodeling so some of their collection will be on display at the National Gallery in Dublin until September. An Irish peace offering perhaps?

I can’t wait to see this exhibit, although I think I’ll hold off until after this weekend. There are some really cool paintings and I love the one I’ve put here in this post. Though it’s not in Dublin, I also thought Macoosh might enjoy John Locke’s portrait; there’s a cool video on the site.

If you’re in Dublin between now and September, it looks like the National Gallery of Ireland is worth a visit.

In continuation of my efforts to learn more about the politics of Ireland and Northern Ireland and share them with you, I give you this follow-up piece. The results are in from the Northern Ireland Assembly election held last Thursday and as expected, The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) took the lead as the largest party with 36 seats out of the 108-member Assembly. Sinn Féin, the Irish Republican party, took the second largest position with 28 seats. The two parties are now faced with a 26 March deadline to form a power-sharing agreement in the Executive.

DUP leader Ian Paisley is poised to take the First Minister position in the Executive, while Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness would take the Deputy First Minister spot. Of the ten Executive positions, the DUP will take four positions, Sinn Féin next with three, then two Ulster Unionists and one nationalist SDLP.

This should be interesting with such polar-opposite leaders potentlially sharing the number one and number two Executive positions. Paisley is an outspoken critic of the Catholic Church who once called Pope John Paul II the anti-Christ, while McGuinness was a former second-in-command leader of the Provisional IRA during Bloody Sunday and, like his fellow Sinn Féin members, refuses to take his seat as a Member of British Parliament. We’ll just have to wait and see if the power-sharing agreement can be made before 26 March.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, the hardline Nationalist party, both gained seats in Northern Ireland Assembly elections yesterday. The DUP is expected to pick up at least 3 seats to end up with 35, while Sinn Féin should add 4 seats for a total of 28. However, unless a power sharing agreement among the government department executives can be reached by 26 March, the Assembly will be dissolved.

The Assembly has been suspended since October 2002 and if reinstated, will give Northern Ireland home rule once again.

I am still learning about the complex political situation between the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Northern Ireland (UK) and at this point still have not formed an opinion one way or the other. It will be interesting to see if the Assembly is reinstated and how it may change the political climate.

The Northern Ireland Assembly, currently suspended since October 2002, may resume sessions in March, according to this week’s The Economist. The International Monitoring Commission met January 30th and seems satisfied that the IRA has ceased terrorist activities. This prompted prime ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, of Britain and Ireland, to call for an election of a new assembly March 7th, with a resumption of self rule on March 26th.

The Northern Ireland Assembly aims to share power between the Unionists and the Nationalists and establish self-government of the region. If the elections take place, which are in doubt, it would be a another significant step toward peace intended by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

I want this for Christmas!

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/15/disappearing_rights_.html