By David McKittrick
Independent.co.uk
19 September 2008

Stormont remained deadlocked last night, with Belfast's power-sharing executive unable to meet because of continued wrangling between Sinn Fein and the loyalist Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Ministers from the four parties which make up the executive were all at Stormont, but Sinn Fein exercised its legal right to halt the scheduled meeting.


Gordon Brown with the DUP's Peter Robinson (left) and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness at Stormont this week

Instead, the three other parties – the DUP, the Ulster Unionists, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) – met on an informal basis, as efforts went on behind the scenes to bridge the DUP-Sinn Fein gap which has prevented executive meetings taking place for several months.

Sinn Fein's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness got along famously with the former DUP leader Ian Paisley. But he has yet to establish any evident political rapport with his replacement, Peter Robinson, who took over in June.

Mr Robinson has taken a less jovial approach than Dr Paisley, causing Sinn Fein to question his party's commitment to equality in government. The republicans want early movement on the devolution of policing powers to the Belfast administration, but Mr Robinson is resisting this.

Sinn Fein accuses him of doing so under pressure from hardline elements, both outside and within the DUP. Mr McGuinness declared: "There is a real responsibility to ensure that the tail that is wagging the DUP dog is put in its place.

"There is a responsibility to show leadership. We are absolutely convinced that there are people in the DUP, and indeed others, who are hostile to these institutions which Sinn Fein participate in."

Although there is undoubtedly an impasse over executive meetings, the general sense at Stormont is of a roadblock rather than a crisis. Both the DUP and the republicans are strongly committed to keeping the executive going, and are unlikely to push this agreement to the point which might threaten it.

Lines of contact are being kept open, with frequent meetings taking place. Although the executive is not currently meeting, the departments are still functioning and can use various administrative techniques.

Mr Robinson confirmed this when he said: "Each of us, if there is not an executive meeting taking place, I think, will look to urgent procedures because we are not in the business of making people outside suffer. Others will have to answer for themselves."

Other ministers complained that measures dealing with issues such as fuel poverty and suicide prevention could be handled better and more quickly if the executive were to meet.

From one perspective, Sinn Fein look isolated in the dispute, since the three other executive parties all want it to meet. But on the other hand, Gordon Brown, on a recent visit to Belfast, pleased the republicans by saying a timetable should be set for the transfer of policing. The Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward took a relaxed view of the dispute. "I am rather optimistic actually about how the politics is working here," he said. "There is very clear evidence that on a number of issues; a number of policies, the political leaders are finding their way through very practical issues with practical solutions. Of course it is important that the Assembly meets, it is important that the executive meets, but the timing I believe is less important than the content and the engagement."

The DUP was meanwhile heartened yesterday by its victory in a council by-election in Fermanagh. The party was so anxious to win the seat that it put forward as its candidate Arlene Foster, who is a minister in the executive.

A stalled transfer of power

May 2007: The Northern Ireland power-sharing executive is set up involving the four major Belfast parties, with DUP leader Ian Paisley and republican Martin McGuinness at its head.

February 2008: A council by-election brings a strong showing for Traditional Unionist Voice, a hardline loyalist grouping opposed to the power-sharing settlement. Mr Paisley's son, Ian Paisley Jnr, resigns as a junior minister amid mounting criticism of his political and business contacts.

June onwards: DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson replaces Mr Paisley as First Minister. The DUP and Sinn Fein fail to agree on a series of issues including when policing powers will be transferred. Executive meetings stop.

September 2008: Gordon Brown visits Belfast to say the IRA is no longer a threat and that a date should be set for the transfer of policing. The DUP resists this. The Northern Ireland Executive was supposed to meet yesterday but the factions remained deadlocked.

Irish Times
Thursday, 18 Sept 2007

Police investigating terrorist activity in Northern Ireland tonight charged a man with a series of offences.

The 33-year-old will appear in court tomorrow to face charges of possession of explosives, manufacturing explosives, possession of ammunition and possession of items likely to be of use to terrorism.

The man was arrested by police on Sunday during a security force operation in the south Armagh village of Crossmaglen.

He will appear at Newry Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.

BBC
18 Sept 2008

Loyalist killer Michael Stone should be acquitted of trying to murder the Sinn Féin leaders as there is insufficient evidence, his defence lawyer has said.

Stone denies attempting to murder Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, as well as other explosive and weapons charges.

Orlando Pownall QC said he had not gone beyond "merely preparatory" acts.

Prosecution QC Charles Adair said Stone had completed his preparations, and all he had left to do was enter Stormont's debating chamber to launch his attack.

Mr Pownall argued that although attempting the impossible does not necessarily mean a defendant is not guilty, in this case, given Stone's physical condition and the fact that he still had to get past security, "his intended purpose was a purpose he could never have achieved as a matter of common-sense".

He said he accepted the judge could find there was a "guilty intent" on Stone's part, given what he had said during police interviews and in a letter to Belfast Telegraph journalist Lindy McDowell, where he claimed he planned to "slit the throats" of Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness.

'Merely preparatory'

However, the London-based barrister added: "We would submit that purely as a matter of law... there is insufficient evidence, applying the act, for any tribunal of fact to conclude that the steps taken thus far were anything beyond merely preparatory."

He said the defence team's submission would be that Stone's preparatory acts would have ended, and the actual offence of attempted murder begun, "if Mr Stone had entered the chamber and set light to one or more of the devices and/or gone towards Messrs Adams and McGuinness".

On the charge of inflicting actual bodily harm on a female Stormont security guard who broke a bone in her hand while attempting to jam the revolving doors, Mr Pownall said she had behaved with "great courage" but Stone did not assault her.

'Weaponry'

Prosecution barrister Charles Adair said Stone "had concluded for effective purposes, all the preparatory acts necessary apart from reaching the chamber".

"He had constructed the weaponry, he had gone to the premises where the victims would be, he had entered the premises and got inside and the last act was to get to the chamber and throw one or other of the devices," he said.

Mr Adair said "any rational person" would say that actually entering Parliament Buildings "is more than merely preparation for the act itself" and added that "the best way to ascertain his intentions is from his own mouth".

Turning to the charge of actual bodily harm, Mr Adair said the authorities were clear that it did not matter if the injury was suffered indirectly but was as a result of the incident in general.

Mr Justice Deeney reserved his ruling and told the court he would deliver it on Friday.

News Letter
19 September 2008

LEADING loyalist Jackie McDonald has said he is still willing to take part in talks with nationalists in a bid to move the communities forward.

The south Belfast loyalist, who is widely seen as the leader of the UDA, said he "won't be found wanting" and is "committed to this sharing process" despite the cancellation of a cross-community discussion at a GAA club in west Belfast on Wednesday night.

Mr McDonald and fellow loyalist Colin Halliday were scheduled to speak at the event at Sarsfields GAC in the heart of nationalist Andersonstown, but it was cancelled by the club after an outcry following Press reports that the two men were to attend.

The function was organised by the Standing Northern Ireland Peace Process (Snipp) group, which is made up of representatives from both sides of the political divide.

Sarsfield said their rooms were booked privately and they were unaware of the exact nature of the event until they read about it in the media.

The club then cancelled the function, claiming they did not want to be at the centre of a major security and media focus.

The club also acknowledged that many of its members, including families of victims of loyalists, were against the event because of the presence of Mr McDonald.

Snipp was set up to try and build links between the two communities and has already held public meetings in Mr McDonald's loyalist heartland of south Belfast, attended by NIO and Irish government officials.

Last night, the two leaders issued a joint statement on behalf of Snipp, saying they understood the reluctance to engage in the nationalist community, but said they were willing to continue dialogue.

They said: "We very much appreciate the fear and hurt still being felt by many people in the nationalist/republican community because of their experiences during our time of intercommunal conflict.

"This is also very true for many in our own community who also bear the scars of such hurt.

News Letter
19 Sept 2008

A CROWN court judge presiding over the Michael Stone trial has refused an application to have two charges of attempting to murder the Sinn Fein leadership thrown out of court.

A defence application was lodged to Mr Justice Deeny on Thursday which claimed there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the charges of attempting to murder both Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness when Stone stormed Stormont on November 24, 2006.

The Judge told Belfast Crown Court that after considering legal submissions, he "considered the Crown has produced evidence which may lead the court, as a tribunal of fact, to conclude....that Michael Anthony Stone had done acts which were more than merely preparatory."

Mr Justice Deeney added: "The final decision on that point awaits the conclusion of the trial but I have applied the tests which are appropriate at this stage and in the circumstances, I reject the application."

He did, however, accept a defence application that Stone (53), of no fixed abode, did not intent to injure security guard Susan Porter, who sustained a fracture to a bone in her hand whilst stopping Stone entering Parliament Buildings via the revolving doors at the entrance.

Stone had been charged with assaulting Ms Porter occasioning her actual bodily harm but after pointing out that she told the trial she sustained the injury at the very start of the incident, the Judge said there was "no satisfactory evidence" to suggest Stone, upon seeing Ms Porter barring his way, forcefully pushed the door with the intention of injuring her.

The Judge, therefore, returned a 'not guilty' verdict on the charge of assaulting Ms Porter.

The trial is due to resume on Monday morning when Stone is expected to give evidence.