Good news from Northern Ireland

Hey Creakygate any apologies for me!!? You got your fact's wrong in our little arguments loads of times.Be a man Creaky own up to your little mistakes.;))

barneyjo - that is the reasoning behind a weighted majority of 65% or something similar putting any voluntary coalition in need of cross-community support. There are of course other options that could be looked at - you could have a mandatory 2 party cross community coalition instead of the current 5 party mandatory coalition ie DUP & Sinn Fein in government with UUP, SDLP & Alliance as opposition parties - that would allow a semblance of normal politics in that the government could be voted out or changed, whereas currently all 5 parties are in government perpetually which cannot be good in the long term.

Citizen 69 and Kilsally: My apologies. I had in mind direct charges as per the UK and proposed by Peter Hain to nudge the tardy cross-border elements of the GFA to meet their target dates. ~ I am obliged to you both and stand corrected.

In view of the post election comments of Tom Elliott, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, regarding his "Scum" Reference, I think it is too early to go down the road of a voluntary coalition, given the mindset still prevalent within the Unionist Political classes. The risk is that all shades of Unionism could seek to exclude sections of the nationalist representation in the Assembly. And to those who say it could not happen, look what happened in Castlereagh Council where shades of Unionism banded together to effectively exclude the middle ground and nationalist representation from power.

Actually Towngate we pay for water in our rates / council tax bills which was £700 quid for me. The election results are good for peace but not necessarily good for government -ha mandatory 5 party coalition is very hard to get cohesive direction with. The StAndrews Agreement has a review of the institutions built into it which must be completed in this incoming Assembly term. DUP, UUP, Alliance, Greens, UKIP, PUP, TUV and Conservatives and with a little coaxing the SDLP have all mootedsome form of weighted majority voluntary coalition with a proper opposition as a possibility which would putNI inline with the Scottish and Welsh devolved Assemblies and other democratic institutions in USA, UK &Republic of Ireland but the weighted majority ensuring cross community involvement.

@Towngate: The Northern Irish actually pay for water via their council rates bill but the water company is so inept that it's losing millions every year.

There are plans to put Bromide in the Water supply to Protestant areas and Viagra in the Catholic supply to speed up the tipping point of the 'demographic timebomb'! Nobody could complain as - incredibly - nobody there, from either side, actually has to pay for their water!

Must be all the fluoride they put in the water up there.It calms them.

I see this as good news.But they must find a way to bring everyone on board.

I don't particularly see it as 'good news' when two of the most extreme parties run the country once again. They spend all their time arguing with each other and getting little done. They also exclude the more moderate parties from most decision making in this so-called all party coalition. Parts of our society are becoming more polarized thanks to these party's constant bickering & tribalism. More 'peace' walls are going up making our working class communities more divided than ever and dissident republicans are picking up the pace in their terror campaign. And now we are starting to see the re-emerging of militaristic terrorist murals by the IRA & UVF going up on our city walls.

well said!

well said!