Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston · @JulieACorr
2nd Jan 2017 from TwitLonger
Call for reform of Northern Ireland's devolved administration -
Political Commentator and writer Alex Kane described Northern Irish power-sharing arrangements as follows: “We’ve had different types of Executive since December 1999: one with the UUP/SDLP/SF and the DUP neither in nor out. Then one with the DUP/SF/UUP/SDLP. Then one with the DUP/SF/UUP/SDLP/Alliance. Then the UUP left. Then the latest one, with DUP/SF/Claire Sugden. And all of them, every single one of them, has included walkouts, in/outs, suspensions, show downs, crises, instability, threats of legal action, emergency talks, potential collapse and round-the-clock briefing against each other.” Alex is right. What Stormont has produced in its short, frequently interrupted life cannot be described as healthy nor democratic politics. Meanwhile the budget deficit is growing, NHS waiting lists are escalating and vital public services have been starved of or had funding slashed. Most worryingly of all, the belief in Northern Ireland that we can govern ourselves is rapidly diminishing. So what is the alternative? Alex believes “We’re doomed to live in our ‘dreary steeples’ world for a long, long time to come”. With his finger on the pulse, as it usually is, he invoked the spirit of the electorate when concluding “there’s no alternative”. However I disagree, besides Direct Rule and Joint Sovereignty which Alex quite rightly insists won’t happen, there is perhaps a rather radical but rational alternative. The institutions envisaged in the Belfast Agreement were a compromise, agreed at a time when an honourable outcome and stability were desperately needed. Those structures were not designed to last forever; they were specific to their context. And just like the devolution of justice or an extension of fiscal responsibility, the institutions grow and change as the political landscape does. The system, Executive Authority, isn’t working – so change it or rather replace it. Replace it with a system which requires members to work together sharing in the responsibility of governance rather than signing up to one another’s position of power. The same system of Government has been successfully operating for decades in Councils across the province. This is a tried and tested model that, despite occasional controversies and disputes, has weathered political storms with an integrity and strength not associated with our Assembly. These structures have allowed Councils to diligently fulfill their role without threat of collapse or accusations of financial mismanagement.
Has the alternative been under our nose the entire time? I believe so.
Of course I’m not suggesting the Northern Ireland Assembly become a glorified council but that we should adopt the very best elements of the local government system in order to create a new regionally devolved legislature with the necessary public administrative powers, processes and structures befitting of a 21st century liberal democracy. In doing so we can introduce the mechanisms for accountability, rejuvenate and copper-fasten the concept of sharing responsibility envisaged in 1998 and can improve public confidence in the devolved institutions of Northern Ireland. Reforming the administration is the foundation upon which Northern Ireland political representatives can deliver the functional, honorable governance the people of Northern Ireland both want and deserve.
Perhaps now, so aptly timed as we begin a new year, we should strike a conversation about new beginnings. Subsequently I call upon my colleagues across the political spectrum to make room for a serious discussion and a proper public conversation on the future reform of Northern Irelands devolved administration.
Cllr Julie-Anne Corr Johnston