FINAL ISSUES

by MONITOR
POLICING and the administration of justice have always been the final issues in need of settlement in Northern Ireland to bring into complete existence the vision of the Good Friday agreement. It is not necessary to rehearse in detail the sectarian nature of policing in Northern Ireland for many decades and the resentment felt about it by a substantial part of the community to understand why it has remained a matter of contention between the parties that have been able to share power in most other areas. In addition, recourse to British courts and judgements by them that had to be reversed in several cases have left a bitter legacy. This week after meetings at Downing Street with the leaders of the Protestant DUP and Sinn Fein, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, Gordon Brown has announced the provision of a one billion pound package to facilitate the transfer of policing and justice powers to the government in Belfast. He also gave assurances that further funds would be available if “exceptional circumstances” made them necessary. At the request of Mr Robinson, David Cameron met the two leaders in order to give them a pledge that a Conservative government would also support the package. There are, however, still some hurdles to jump, especially for Mr Robinson who has very hard-line opponents of the transfer of policing and justice powers in his party.