This document summarizes the progress that has been made with the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland since the Stormont Assembly was established in 1998. It notes that mandatory coalitions are difficult, but the current arrangement has concentrated minds. While there have been frustrations and 150 days of deadlock, the mutual veto system has prevailed and committees have shown independence. Overall, the document concludes that the St Andrews Agreement strengthened the governing body and increased accountability, but that the system remains conservative with more work still needed to be done to further develop a working democracy.

1. Photo courtesy Etrusia_UK at http://url.ie/10nr
STORMONT
FROM CHUCKLING TOWARDS WORKING DEMOCRACY?
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2. FIRST, A STORY...
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13. THE CHUCKLE BROTHERS
(FORMERLY KNOWN AS “THE TWO MONSTERS”)
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14. BROKERING POWER
Coalitions are tough
Mandatory coalitions
are tougher
With political enemies
tougher still
It concentrates minds
Still, discipline breaks
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15. TAMING THE COALITION
2 parties: OFMDFM
4 parties: Executive
Executive
7 parties: Legislative Assembly Committees
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16. POLITICAL FRUSTRATIONS
Compliance within a
forced coalition
Requires a common
programme
Collective
responsibility
Collective delivery
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17. TROUBLE ON THE HILL
Everyone agrees on
Water Charges
No one, but Ritchie,
agreed on CTI Funding
Chaos ensued
And a judicial review
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18. THOSE LOST150 DAYS?
OFMDFM deadlock:
Policing and justice
Selective education
Irish Language Act
But the mutual veto
wins in the end...
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19. HOLDING IT TOGETHER
The authority of the
‘House’
Independence of the
Speaker’s Office
Recognition of
protocols
Addressing Speaker,
rather than ‘Basil’
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20. SUCCESS OF COMMITTEES
Show of independence
Communitarian ethic
Strong ‘commitment’
Genuine openness to
new policy areas
With some exceptions
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21. TRANSFORMING CONFLICT
End to street politics?
Conflict in a human
space
Old discourses
increasingly irrelevant
Need to rise to new
ones: health; economy;
education
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22. CONCLUSIONS
St Andrews Agreement strengthened OFMDFM
With the means of holding Ministers to account
Toughened a well established ‘top down’ process
‘Government’ whipped Assembly almost irrelevant
This is an innately conservative settlement
With no room for radical departures
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23. NOT MUCH DONE
A LOT MORE TO DO...
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24. SOME OF OUR PARTNERS
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