DUP and Sinn Féin difficulties over the devolution of policing and justice powers to any new Executive at Stormont intensified yesterday.
Nigel Dodds told republicans that there was no desire on the part of any unionist to let Sinn Féin anywhere near control of justice and the party "would have to lump it". The North Belfast MP said his party had secured a "triple lock" on devolution of policing and justice at Westminster.
"Let me spell it out in clear and unequivocal terms - we will only agree to the devolution of policing when there is confidence in the community out there for that to happen. There is no evidence whatsoever of any desire on the part of any unionist that I know to have Sinn Féin anywhere near the issue of policing and justice. It will not happen in my view for a political lifetime. That is our position today, it was our position at St Andrews and it was our position previously."
He went on: "I think it is very difficult to say you are going to have devolution of policing and justice for many, many years to come. Things would have to change dramatically. When you have a situation where the IRA are busy organising paramilitary funerals as they did in Newry [ on Monday] and warning the press away, I think that begs serious questions about the whole issue of paramilitarism and support for law and order. There are serious issues for Sinn Féin to face up to and they are trying to distract attention from their failings on this issue.
"We have no intention of letting Gerry Kelly, Sinn Féin or anyone else near the question of policing and justice. They may not like it but they will have to lump it."
Mr Kelly, Sinn Féin's policing spokesman, said it was "crazy" for the DUP to ask his party to sign up to policing and justice and then deny it any influence on the issue for years to come.
"They should not be able to demand that nationalists sign up to this issue of policing and justice and then say that you won't have any influence on it for a generation," he said.
Party colleague Mitchel McLaughlin said: "The indications are there is a substantial groundswell of goodwill . . . to the possibility of restitution of the Assembly and Executive. That certainly reflects the mood within republicanism."
SDLP policing spokesman Alex Attwood criticised Mr Dodds, claiming that some policing powers had already been devolved to the Policing Board .
"To grandstand around holding up the devolution of justice powers when the DUP know that next March, all the parties, including Sinn Féin, would be exercising real policing powers, is really quite hollow," he said.