Northern Ireland parties still in deadlock to restore devolved government
Written by News on 29/06/2017
Northern Ireland’s political parties negotiated into the night in a bid to reach agreement to restore devolved government.
While progress was reported on some issues, they were struggling to overcome differences on the Irish language.
Sinn Fein is demanding a stand-alone Irish Language Act, bringing Irish onto a par with English in the region.
But the DUP had proposed a hybrid Act, accommodating the Irish language and those who speak in Ulster-Scots.
Language is considered a sensitive issue of cultural identity, much like the flying of flags in Northern Ireland.
The devolved government collapsed in January when Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness resigned as Deputy First Minister.
DUP leader Arlene Foster had refused to stand aside as First Minister during an inquiry into a botched renewable energy scheme.
Sinn Fein’s vote surged in the subsequent Assembly election but parties failed to share power within the six-week timeframe.
Instead of calling another election, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire extended the deadline at Stormont.
Under legislation, parties were granted until four o’clock today to nominate First and Deputy First Ministers.
Without agreement, Northern Ireland faces the prospect of a return to direct rule from Westminster for the first time in a decade.
In the recent General Election, the Democratic Unionists won a record 10 seats, leaving the party holding the balance of power.
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They negotiated a £1.5bn package for Northern Ireland in return for propping up the minority Conservative government.
Tough talk during election campaigns had boosted Sinn Fein’s position at Stormont and the DUP’s position at Westminster.
But it widened the gap between the two largest parties, reducing the prospect of them agreeing to share power again.
That creates the possibility of direct rule ministers from Westminster deciding how the £1.5bn will be spent.
(c) Sky News 2017: Northern Ireland parties still in deadlock to restore devolved government
