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SINN FÉIN LEADER Gerry Adams said he does not think the instability of the Northern Assembly is a threat to the peace process.
Time will be called on Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government at 5pm as no deal has been reached between the DUP and Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin has declined to re-nominate a Deputy First Minister in Stormont following the resignation of Martin McGuinness last week – meaning a snap election is now on the cards.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the party’s think-in in Dublin, Adams said he is not concerned that the controversy will threaten the peace process.
“What I would be concerned about is that another generation which has grown up free from conflict is now seeing the negativities of sectarianism: the negativity of intolerance, the negativity of disrespect. I would be concerned about that, but I think in the short-term, the peace process is firm. It has support and that is not going to shift.”
Adams also criticised Taoiseach Enda Kenny in relation to the imminent dissolution of the Assembly.
When asked by TheJournal.ie if he thought both the British and Irish governments had dropped the ball on issues that threatened the continuation of the DUP-Sinn Féin power-sharing arrangement, he said:
I don’t think the Taoiseach has a good instinct on these issues. I think he values the peace process, he obviously appreciates the work that has been done and wants that to continue – but the work that was done wasn’t done easily and it wasn’t done with grand speeches. It was done by really, really hard work by dedicated people from all sides and that’s what the Taoiseach has to do.
Adams said the Kenny is constitutionally bound as Taoiseach to deal with the issues at play in the north.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, Adams said it is the responsibility of both the British and Irish governments to ensure there is equality.
“It doesn’t even rest with the administration in Stormont,” he added.
Even if I put this in the kindest way possible, there is a huge onus on the Taoiseach to fulfill the responsibilities for all the people on this island in terms of an international treaty, an international agreement of which he is a co-guarantor.
“There is an onus on the Taoiseach to deal with this issue, I have argued with him and debated this privately and publicly and I have tried to do it in a considered way.
Adams said it all well and good for the Taoiseach to make telephone calls “in the early hours of the morning” to the Principal Private Secretary to the UK Prime Minister when there is a crisis, but he said hard graft needed to be put in also.
“These problems we have been flagging for a long time. What is required is consistency, is strategic and ongoing engagement with the British government and our friends internationally to ensure the British government upholds its obligations.
“The British government refuses, refuses, to put the mechanisms in place to deal with legacy issues that were agreed at Stormont House two years ago – refuses to do it. What does the Irish government choose to do about it? That’s the big question. There is no point lip servicing it – it needs diplomatic outreach,” said Adams.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterGerry Adams says Martin McGuinness has left his sick bed to go to Stormont. Adams said he's happy representing his constituency in the Dail pic.twitter.com/QXiDnvbgnO
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) January 16, 2017
The Sinn Féin leader put equal blame on the British government for the current state of affairs.
I am not surprised by the British government, because the British government will always act in what is its own self-interest and it is very good at doing that - and that doesn’t include the north. The Brexit decision was taken without any contemplation for the people in the north.
Adams continued by saying that the Irish government has not called on the British government to take heed of the issues at play.
He said Sinn Féin is going forward “confident” in its resolve to be back in the institutions – but said the basis of that has to be the Good Friday Agreement.
When asked if he would be consider a move to politics in Stormont, Adams said:
“We have a job of work in this State to do and it falls on me to be part of that.”
Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald was asked if she was considering a move from north Dublin to north of the border, to which she replied: “Absolutely not.”
The same question was posed to Pearse Doherty.
I represent the most northern part of Ireland and I am very content to do so.
Imagine the d*ckheads that would live in this town? Beards, retro dark rimmed glasses, cycling around on mini scooters eating tofu with pet hamsters in baskets
@Fergus Sheahan: What difference does it make to you how others want to live?
@Kal Ipers: what difference does it make to you how I think others should want to live?
@Fergus Sheahan: Answering a question with a question isn’t an answer. Simply any aggression towards anybody else because they aren’t like you is pretty pathetic.
@Kal Ipers: The irony…
@Kal Ipers: but you answered my original question with a question..are you pretty pathetic? Is it ok that i asked another question??
@Fergus Sheahan: Adding a question mark doesn’t make it magically a question. The same way people don’t understand irony. Note you still haven’t answered
What type of hamster does he have ?
@Nigel Sheehan: is that a question because there’s a massive claim on this thread that question marks don’t mean questions? (This is a question)
@Nigel Sheehan: I was wondering what kind of basket could fit a hamster and a hipster and still leave room for a serving of tofu
@Fergus Sheahan: you’re the one that forced your narrow view on the rest of us. But you object to us now questioning it.
@Chris Linehan: There is no massive claim that question marks don’t mean a question. There is simply the point that adding a question mark doesn’t mean the preceding sentence is a question.
@Kal Ipers: it’s nearly lunchtime why don’t you have an ironic jam sandwich, de fog your retro glasses and take your hamster Earl for a trip on your scooter
@Fergus Sheahan: you mean Sth William Street!
@Fergus Sheahan: Tofu and hamster sounds wonderful, with or without Mayo lol.
This honestly just sounds abhorrent. Let’s hope it never happens. The book 1984 was a warning, not an instruction manual.
@AdijazzJohnson: You do know this is not new and was in place well before the book was ever written? Companies have done this all over the world. Bournville being an noticible example.
@Kal Ipers: Globex done it too.
@AdijazzJohnson: ” and I sold my soul to the company store”
And Guinness
Imagine the amount of the graffiti in that town, with everyone writing on each other’s walls.
@Scundered: Full on poking in the cafe queue.
@Scundered: Peeing on them anyway lol.
Welcome to the Globex Corporation. Wonder will they have a hammock district?
@David Mitchell:
Scorpio!
He’ll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth.
Beware of Scorpio!
His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world.
And his employees’ health.
He’ll welcome you into his lair.
Like the nobleman welcomes his guest.
With free dental care and a stock plan that helps you invest!
Plus three weeks paid vacation each yearAnd on Fridays, the lunchroom serves hot dogs and burgers and beer!
He loves German beer!
@Joe Bloggs: You know, there’s a little place called Mary Ann’s Hammocks. The nice thing about that place is Mary Ann gets in the hammock with you.
The cult of Zuckerburg gathers pace…
Very good idea. If we had any imagination we would allow Facebook to build their own town on a rail line somewhere in the Greater Dublin area, maybe in Kildare or North County Dublin. Would be a massive help to the cost of rent in the city centre.
@Fred Jensen: Nothing new in this idea. Cadbury built a whole town for their employees.
Rail companies, Guinness, and others built houses for employees.
Great idea. Facebook could build houses for their employees in the docklands area.
Coughcoughcoughblackmirrorcoughcoughcough
@dampsquid: think you should see a doctor bout that fierce bad cough
I would hope that most people would have a life outside of work that has nothing to do with their jobs, and hopefully they would not turn into the company zombies or work slaves that Facebook or ucd (see previous sponsored article) seem to want them to do!
15% below market price . Which should be around 1 million mark, real affordable for someone working at Facebook
@marty johnbann: Facebook heading into the mortgage market. Your wages this week was $1,000. Less tax, $600. Less facebook mortgage. That’s $200. Mr Murphy, you’re fired, and now homeless too!
Faceworld.
Nothing new about this to be fair. There are neighbourhoods & towns all over the world that were built specifically for employees of factories.
@Michael O’Toole: Disney?
Anyone watch the Circle? Cause this is sounding like its going in the same direction with the whole live on campus business…
Would I be barred from the town if I didn’t sign up for facebook ?
Big deal ,nothing new about this idea .
It’ll end up like this place…
http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Cypress_Creek
I’d love to visit the hammock district :P
Why does this remind of the film Idiocracy?
Jim Jones tried the same thing. Didn’t work.
Sound very scary kind of like “Stepford wives “job meet “the Village ” creepy to say the least
Should just buy a country, Greece or some basket case
When you go into the corner shop, it’ll suggest the things you had 4 years ago and expect you to swallow it all over again.
I’ve seen the film, it was called Moonraker?
Called Stepfordville…
Fakenewsville?
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