ANALYSIS:Micheál Martin does no harm in keeping pressure on politicians for political progress
FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin’s kick-in-the-pants speech in Bodenstown on Sunday served a useful purpose in sticking it up to the Government and the Northern Executive to keep their eyes on the peace and political process ball, so to speak.
He complained about disengagement and complacency towards the North from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and of the DUP and Sinn Féin putting their own political interests ahead of the common good in Northern Ireland. The tone of the address could almost lead one to suspect that there is a crisis waiting to happen up at Stormont. Here Martin may have used too much yeast in his speech. Any suggestions of an impending crisis seem overcooked. Tensions and occasional rows and red tape yes, but, regardless, the business of the Executive grinds on reasonably well – but with one particularly big test ahead.
Some of Martin’s comments point to self-interested party politicking: having a lash at the Taoiseach and taking the battle to Sinn Féin south of the Border after last week’s Irish Times poll showed some positive reversal in fortunes for Fianna Fáil.
Another of Martin’s concerns was that there is no apparent effort to expand the North-South structures created after the 1998 Belfast Agreement. It is true there has been little progress on that front but putting new cross-Border bodies in place in these economic times would seem at best problematic.
But the North-South Ministerial Council meets in Armagh next week while the long-awaited North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association was finally established in July. Government and Executive Ministers meet regularly while in areas such as energy, tourism, health and education practical cross-Border work is being carried out.
There are frustrations and vexations, of course. Because Robinson and McGuinness jointly run the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister their DUP and Sinn Féin apparatchiks must separately and mutually clear any policy or other issues moving through the office.
This can lead to slow government. It can also lead to the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP and Alliance – also all part of the Executive – feeling the DUP and Sinn Féin are carving up power between them.
Martin’s main focus appeared to be on questioning the efficacy of the relationship between Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. If that were in serious trouble then there would be real reason to worry. There was a spat last week with Robinson quite reasonably accusing McGuinness of playing politics over changes to UK welfare legislation when, the First Minister argued, Sinn Féin knew these changes must happen. But, as Robinson said, that was playing politics. And both Robinson and McGuinness do play to the more atavistic elements in their constituencies as and when the need arises while also being well able to engage in leadership politics and get real work done.
The First Minister and Deputy First Minister have been pushing hard for a reduction in corporation tax and international jobs investment. They are generally presenting a united front where it matters: opposing the dissident threat; standing by the PSNI; Robinson going to a GAA game, attending the funeral Mass of Michaela Harte; McGuinness meeting Queen Elizabeth, going to Windsor Park for a soccer game.
And, as several informed observers noted, “they get on a damned sight better than David Trimble and Seamus Mallon ever did”. But the Fianna Fáil leader does no harm in keeping the pressure on. The big test alluded to above is shaping a strategy to tackle sectarianism, the last of the big peace process hurdles to be overcome. That’s promised in the coming months.
Robinson and McGuinness have made firm commitments it will be an effective and feasible policy. They need to deliver to keep the wheels turning.
