ASSEMBLY:THE TRANSFER of powers makes sense, the community knows this and supports this course of action, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness told the Assembly yesterday.
Proposing that justice powers be transferred from London, Mr McGuinness dismissed the Ulster Unionists, dissident republicans and anti-powersharing unionists in the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) as “out of sync from popular opinion and common sense”.
He rounded on the Ulster Unionists for portraying the Executive as dysfunctional. “The proposals by the UUP seek to undermine the safeguards of the Good Friday agreement. They are designed to be unworkable and insupportable. These are the most dysfunctional political positions I have ever come across,” he said.
Alliance leader David Ford claimed there were three main reasons to back devolution of justice. The man tipped to become Justice Minister when powers are transferred on April 12th said the move would “cement the peace process” a year after the murders at Massereene barracks and of a PSNI officer in Craigavon.
It would demonstrate Stormont was capable of taking responsibility for difficult decisions, he added, and would also show there was significant public demand for a properly working Executive.
SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie challenged Sinn Féin claims that it had secured DUP commitments to devolution of policing and justice at St Andrews in 2006. She said this was untrue and she criticised the Irish and British governments for allowing the Sinn Féin “version of events to go unchallenged”.
“While acknowledging their desire to deliver progress, I have to say that the two governments have not distinguished themselves on this issue,” she said.
Fresh from his nomination to replace his father as the North Antrim DUP candidate in the forthcoming Westminster election, Ian Paisley jnr referred to a media interview with Kate Carroll, widow of murdered police officer Stephen Carroll, and her appeal for Stormont politicians to “get on with it”.
“That’s the challenge to every man and woman in this place,” Mr Paisley said. “Outside interference does not take away from responsibility to take difficult decisions and to do what is right.”
He appealed to members on all sides to “make this house noble instead of a house of ridicule”.
Alliance deputy leader Naomi Long accused the four parties represented in the Executive of contributing at times to the dysfunctionality of the Executive. She said the focus on policing and justice had worsened the lack of co-operation among ministers from the four parties.
Ms Long attacked the SDLP, accusing Ms Ritchie of pigeonholing Alliance in the “two-tribes” mentality and of siding in some respects with the Ulster Unionists despite their decision to vote against the transfer of powers.
Sinn Féin Assembly member John O’Dowd insisted the debate was about a new justice system and not about the position of the UUP.
He said he wanted to deny SDLP claims that the DUP and Sinn Féin had conspired to “gerrymander” the position of Justice Minister to exclude the SDLP.
“They voted for it in this chamber,” he said.
SDLP policing spokesman Alex Attwood said the debate was a tribute to those who stood up for the new policing arrangements in 2001 when Sinn Féin still opposed the PSNI. He said he disagreed with the Ulster Unionists on devolution but praised them for their positive approach to policing in the past.
Summing up, DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson said a vote for the transfer of powers would deliver on commitments made in the 2007 DUP manifesto.
He denounced TUV leader Jim Allister, who vociferously opposes devolution and powersharing with republicans, for his stance. He claimed Mr Allister had helped draft that manifesto when he was a member of the DUP and had voted and campaigned for it.
Mr Robinson also denounced the Ulster Unionists for their opposition, describing their objections as “complete trash”.
The UUP had shown a “degree of desperation” and were prepared to scrape around in the gutter for arguments to use against the DUP. Their arguments were the “product of the manure heap”, he said.