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Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report DEVOLUTION MONITORING PROGRAMME 2006-08 Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 Professor Rick Wilford & Robin Wilson Queen’s University Belfast (eds.) ISSN 1751-3871 The Devolution Monitoring Programme From 1999 to 2005 the Constitution Unit at University College London managed a major research project monitoring devolution across the UK through a network of research teams. 103 reports were produced during this project, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number L 219 252 016) and the Leverhulme Nations and Regions Programme. Now, with further funding from the Economic and social research council and support from several government departments, the monitoring programme is continuing for a further three years from 2006 until the end of 2008. Three times per year, the research network produces detailed reports covering developments in devolution in five areas: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Englsh Regions, and Devolution and the Centre. The overall monitoring project is managed by Professor Robert Hazell and Akash Paun at the Constitution Unit, UCL and the team leaders are as follows: Scotland: Peter Jones Honorary Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, UCL Former political correspondent for The Economist Wales: Dr Richard Wyn Jones & Dr Roger Scully Institute of Welsh Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth Northern Ireland: Professor Rick Wilford & Robin Wilson Queen’s University, Belfast English Regions: Martin Burch & James Rees, IPEG, University of Manchester Alan Harding, SURF, University of Salford The Centre: Professor Robert Hazell, The Constitution Unit, UCL Akash Paun, The Constitution Unit, UCL The Constitution Unit and the rest of the research network is grateful to all the funders of the devolution monitoring programme. Scottish Executive All devolution monitoring reports are published at: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution- unit/research/devolution. Contact Akash Paun on [email protected] for further information. Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 Rick Wilford & Robin Wilson (eds.) Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 Executive Summary .....................................................................................................8 1. The ‘Peace Process’ ......................................................................................11 1.1 Introduction.................................................................................................11 1.2 SF and the rule of law ................................................................................11 1.3 Collusion.....................................................................................................15 1.4 Election and after .......................................................................................19 1.5 Devolution redux ........................................................................................23 1.6 Buying loyalty? ...........................................................................................27 1.7 Conclusion..................................................................................................28 2. Devolved Government........................................................................................29 2.1 Rationalisation postponed ..........................................................................29 2.2 Impartial treatment? ...................................................................................31 3. The Assembly.................................................................................................34 3.1 Debates ......................................................................................................34 3.2 MLA changes .............................................................................................35 4. The Media ......................................................................................................37 4.1 ‘The big picture’ ..........................................................................................37 4.2 The Blair legacy..........................................................................................41 5. Public Attitudes and Identity ...........................................................................43 5.1 Devolution DUPed?....................................................................................43 5.2 Mood of méfiance.......................................................................................45 6. Intergovernmental Relations ..........................................................................47 6.1 ‘East-west’ ..................................................................................................47 6.2 North-south.................................................................................................51 7. Relations with the EU .....................................................................................53 7.1 Introduction.................................................................................................53 7.2 Crown employment and nationality ............................................................54 7.3 EU funding..................................................................................................55 7.4 Conclusion..................................................................................................57 8. Relations with Local Government...................................................................58 9. Finance...........................................................................................................60 9.1 Asking for more ..........................................................................................60 9.2 Taking decisions.........................................................................................61 10. Political Parties and Elections ........................................................................64 10.1 Introduction.................................................................................................64 10.2 The election campaign ...............................................................................65 10.3 The results..................................................................................................67 4 Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 10.4 The aftermath .............................................................................................70 10.5 Conclusion..................................................................................................71 11. Public Policies ................................................................................................72 11.1 A crowded in-tray .......................................................................................72 11.2 Done and dusted ........................................................................................74 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................76 Official Documents .................................................................................................76 Secondary Literature ..............................................................................................76 5 Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 List of Figures Figure 1: Changing Constitutional Preferences 2001-2006 44 Figure 2: Election candidates by Party and Sex 67 Figure 3: Election Results, Seats, First Preference Votes, Vote Shares 68 Acronyms APNI Alliance Party of Northern Ireland ARA Assets Recovery Agency BIC British-Irish Council BIIC British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference BIIPB British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body CID Criminal Investigation Department DARD Department of Agriculture and Rural Development DCAL Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure DE Department of Education DoE Department of Environment DEL Department of Employment and Learning DETI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment DFP Department of Finance and Personnel DHSSPS Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety DRD Department for Regional Development DSD Department for Social Development DUP Democratic Unionist Party IMC Independent Monitoring Commission MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly NICVA Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action NIO Northern Ireland Office NSMC North/South Ministerial Council OFMDFM Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister PIRA Provisional Irish Republican Army PSNI Police Service of Northern Ireland PUP Progressive Unionist Party RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party SOCA Serious Organised Crime Agency SB (RUC) Special Branch SF Sinn Féin 6 Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 STV single transferable vote UDA Ulster Defence Association UDR Ulster Defence Regiment UKUP United Kingdom Unionist Party UPRG Ulster Political Research Group UUP Ulster Unionist Party UVF Ulster Volunteer Force 7 Northern Ireland Devolution Monitoring Report April 2007 Executive Summary Yet another ‘final’ Northern Ireland deadline came and went, but this time devolution looked set, at last, to be restored 55 months after it collapsed in October 2002, following revelations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont. It was evident that devolution would not return until and unless the ambiguous relationship between Sinn Féin and the rule of law was resolved. After the belated announcement of an end to the IRA campaign in 2005 and associated
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