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Parliamentary Affairs
and balances, including the unanimity rule, also deflects its proponents
from thinking about the substance of policies. Albeit carefully crafted,
and hard-bargained, the Agreement does have a rather narrow institu-
tional focus, and yet it is more than an instance of orthodox consocia-
tionalism. The fact that its signatories agreed to set in train reform of
the police and the criminal justice system, and to endorse a free-standing
Equality and Human Rights Commissions, means that the process of
social transformation in Northern Ireland will survive—even if the
institutional expressions of the Agreement, including the Assembly,
suffer the same fate as their predecessors.
1
2
For previous attempts to restore devolution see R. Wilford, ‘Regional Assemblies and Parliament’ in P.
Mitchell and R. Wilford (eds), Politics in Northern Ireland, Westview Press, 1998.
In Opposition, both Conservatives and Labour contemplated alternatives. In its 1979 election mani-
festo, the former proposed revitalisation of local government; between 1981 and 1994 the latter
adopted a policy of Irish unity by consent.
3
4
A. Lijphart, The Politics of Accommodation: Pluralism and Democracy in the Netherlands, University
of California Press, 1968; and ‘Consociational Democracy’, World Politics, 1969, p. 21.
There were two such Documents: A Framework for Accountable Government in Northern Ireland,
produced by the British government, and A New Framework for Agreement, produced by the British
and Irish governments, HMSO, 1995.
5
6
R. Wilford, ‘Epilogue’ in P. Mitchell and R. Wilford (eds), op. cit.
R. Wilford, ‘Inverting Consociationalism? Policy, pluralism and the Post-Modern’ in B. Hadfield (ed),
Northern Ireland: Politics and the Constitution, Open University Press, 1992.
7
When Monica McWilliams and Jane Morrice, the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition’s MLAs signed
the roll at the first meeting of the shadow Assembly in July 1998, they designated themselves as
‘Nationalist, Unionist, Other’. In the face of objections from other MLAs, notably the DUP, they
redesignated themselves as ‘Inclusive Other’. The standing orders adopted by the shadow Assembly in
March 1999 allow change of a party’s designation once in the life of an Assembly on 30 days written
notice to the Presiding Officer.
8
9
‘Parallel consent’ requires a majority of those present and voting, including a majority of those
designated as unionists and nationalists. A ‘weighted majority’ requires 60% of those present and
voting, including 40% of both unionists and nationalists.
Sinn Fe´in abstained from the vote endorsing the Trimble/Mallon ticket.
10 Establishment of ten departments was an exercise in parity of ministerial esteem. The Executive had
six unionists (four UUP, including the First Minister, and two DUP) and six nationalists (four SDLP,
including the Deputy First Minister, and two Sinn Fe´in). See New Northern Ireland Assembly Report,
15.2.99 for a list of departmental functions.
11 The Agreement had suggested that the Assembly might create a Department of Equality.
12 The Agreement committed the British government to create a statutory obligation on public authorities
in Northern Ireland ‘to carry out all their functions with due regard to the need to promote equality of
opportunity in relation to religion and political opinion; gender; race; disability; age; marital status;
dependants; and sexual orientation’.
13 At the ‘brainstorming session’, participants got a copy of the programme for government agreed by the
Irish Fine Gael, Labour Party and Democratic Left coalition in 1994. The intention was to demonstrate
the possibility of brokering such a programme.
14 New Northern Ireland Assembly Report, 18.1.99.
15 The six implementation bodies are inland waterways; food safety; trade and business development;
special EU programmes; language; aquaculture and marine matters. The six matters for cross-border
cooperation are: transport; agriculture; education; health; environment; and tourism.
16 It included bills on ground rents, inter-country adoption, street trading and child support, and bore no
relation to the intended programme for government.
17 The committees included Audit, Business, Procedures, Public Accounts, and Standards and Privilege.
The Deputy Speakers come from the UUP, SDLP Women’s Coalition.