« Paddy's Day Belfast Bash | Taking On The World » |
Stormont's Coming Back
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the devolved Assembly might be restored.. some day anyway. According to reports today it seems that the DUP, UUP and SDLP are all in a position where they can negotiate over what form exactly the resumed devolution might take, with all in agreement that an alternative executive could be formed (eg from NIO ministers who already act in similar roles).
In theory it would make the ministers more accountable for the decisions they take with the power they already wield. Personally, I can't lose the nagging doubt in the back of my mind that having an assembly which resembles the school debating society (with a fraction of the professionalism and decorum) wouldn't improve matters much. Based on recent spoutings from the various parties, it would do little more than give the politicians an official forum for their seemingly endless MOPEfest - at the taxpayers expense of course. I'd be tempted to just shut the whole thing down and invest the hundreds of thousands of pounds a year saved into something wortwhile.
Not forgetting some of their previous cockups, what benefits would a shadow assembly bring? Answers on a post card...