Martin McGuinness not hopeful about NI cuts breakthrough

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has expressed pessimism about the possibility of crunch talks in Belfast tomorrow resulting in a breakthrough for the political crisis in Northern Ireland.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr McGuinness appeared to indicate Sinn Féin would be prepared to allow Stormont to collapse rather than compromise on welfare cuts.

“I’m not going to be reduced to the position of being the implementer of Tory cuts in the North. I’m not going to be known as the Sinn Féin Minister who did the bidding of a Tory administration which is focused on decimating the welfare state,” he said.

However, Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey softened the rhetoric somewhat when he told the BBC at the weekend that the party did not want the collapse of the institutions and believed a deal on welfare was still possible.

The British and Irish governments, represented by Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan, will hold talks with the North's five main parties at Stormont House tomorrow to determine if there is any way of resolving the logjam.

Highly questionable

Mr McGuinness said: “It’s highly questionable as to whether or not the meeting will achieve anything but we will be there.”

The Northern Executive last week failed to agree a budget for the rest of this financial year, with the DUP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance blaming Sinn Féin for the crisis. Sinn Féin’s continued rejection of welfare cuts has increased speculation since the Conservative Party’s victory in the recent Westminster elections that the Northern Assembly could collapse.

The Sinn Féin ard comhairle met in Dublin on Saturday, where Mr McGuinness described the situation in the North as “very grave”.

Most vulnerable

Asked if he was prepared to allow the institutions to collapse, he said: “Let me put it like this, I am not prepared to officiate over on behalf of the British government what I think is a disastrous strategy which will impact on some of the most vulnerable and poorest people within our society.”

He complained that there had been what he described as a “level of detachment” from Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Mr McGuinness said the British government would damage the Good Friday Agreement if it took back control of powers that are currently the responsibility of the Stormont Executive.

Questioned about the view that Sinn Féin’s politicians in the Republic, under pressure from left-wing opponents, were dictating its approach in the North, Mr McGuinness: “That’s total rubbish”.