Comments on: Will the SDLP leave the Executive? http://oconallstreet.com/2008/08/31/will-the-sdlp-leave-the-executive/ Borderless thoughts on Politics, Public Affairs, the media and anything else that matters from Conall McDevitt, SDLP MLA for South Belfast Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:53:28 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 By: sandrar http://oconallstreet.com/2008/08/31/will-the-sdlp-leave-the-executive/comment-page-1/#comment-19617 sandrar Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:46:04 +0000 http://oconallstreet.com/?p=436#comment-19617 Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post... nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R. Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.

]]> By: O’Conall Street » Blog Archive » Maginness is SDLP’s euro candidate http://oconallstreet.com/2008/08/31/will-the-sdlp-leave-the-executive/comment-page-1/#comment-4761 O’Conall Street » Blog Archive » Maginness is SDLP’s euro candidate Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000 http://oconallstreet.com/?p=436#comment-4761 [...] Across town the Alliance has been meeting in Annual Conference. The party has offered itself up as the compromise candidate to get SF and the DUP off the hook of appointing an SDLP Justice Minister even though it is Durkan’s pick under D’Hondt. I think this is an unwise and potentially ruinous course of action for David Ford’s party. Such an outcome would also place the SDLP in a very difficult position. [...] [...] Across town the Alliance has been meeting in Annual Conference. The party has offered itself up as the compromise candidate to get SF and the DUP off the hook of appointing an SDLP Justice Minister even though it is Durkan’s pick under D’Hondt. I think this is an unwise and potentially ruinous course of action for David Ford’s party. Such an outcome would also place the SDLP in a very difficult position. [...]

]]> By: Yank in Ulster http://oconallstreet.com/2008/08/31/will-the-sdlp-leave-the-executive/comment-page-1/#comment-4009 Yank in Ulster Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:13:10 +0000 http://oconallstreet.com/?p=436#comment-4009 Afraid you and I aren't going to agree on this one, Conall. Collective responsibility means something to me, and this particular involuntary Executive has proven beyond doubt that it cannot get anything done. Regarding Alliance and policing & justice, I wouldn't necessarily argue that Alliance should take this post within the Executive, but as an extra-Ministerial position. This could square the circle for all parties concerned: Alliance wouldn't be part of the involuntary Executive, which then wouldn't affect the status quo of the existing Executive. (However, the Policing & Justice ministry itself would have to have safeguards, so that its minister could actually do the job.) I don't see the logic of any party in the involuntary Executive voluntarily leaving it. Kind of defeats the purpose of d'Hondt. If you can voluntarily leave, why not start with a voluntary coalition in the first place? Afraid you and I aren’t going to agree on this one, Conall. Collective responsibility means something to me, and this particular involuntary Executive has proven beyond doubt that it cannot get anything done.

Regarding Alliance and policing & justice, I wouldn’t necessarily argue that Alliance should take this post within the Executive, but as an extra-Ministerial position. This could square the circle for all parties concerned: Alliance wouldn’t be part of the involuntary Executive, which then wouldn’t affect the status quo of the existing Executive. (However, the Policing & Justice ministry itself would have to have safeguards, so that its minister could actually do the job.)

I don’t see the logic of any party in the involuntary Executive voluntarily leaving it. Kind of defeats the purpose of d’Hondt. If you can voluntarily leave, why not start with a voluntary coalition in the first place?

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