Having one's cake, etc

Robin Sheeran The Politics Show Northern Ireland

Go on, you know you want one..!

The sight of government ministers verbally tearing into one another in the debating chamber is not one you would associate with Westminster or the Welsh and Scottish assemblies.

That sort of thing usually stays in the cabinet room.

But not at Stormont. The public row that sees the UUP and SDLP ranged against the two big parties is partly a result of the executive structure imposed by the Good Friday Agreement.

As DUP MLAs chanted in unison in the recent Budget debate, "It's a four-party mandatory coalition!"

Facing both ways?

This week on Politics Show from Northern Ireland, Rosy Billingham asks whether the DUP and SDLP can be in the Executive and in opposition at the same time.

Are they trying to have their cake and eat it too?

As we saw last week on Politics Show, the UUP Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, wants a bigger slice.

Margaret Ritchie wants to build houses

And the SDLP's Margaret Ritchie over at Social Development keeps telling anyone who will listen that she will build masses of social housing if someone gives her the money.

The position of Alliance outside the charmed "executive circle" has proved useful to the UUP and SDLP.

Out of order

In the recent debate on the Programme for Government, the disgruntled parties backed an Alliance motion criticising the Programme for representing "little new thinking or innovation on the part of the Executive".

The UUP and SDLP cut to the chase with an amendment to the subsequent budget debate criticising the allocation of funds for health and housing.

But the amendment was ruled out of order on a technicality.

Then we discovered that, strictly speaking, that Alliance motion should not have been allowed either. Oops, Mr Speaker!

UUP sidelined?

We did not expect the carve-ups they are doing on almost every issue Basil McCrea

Apart from the specific funding issues, the UUP's main beef seems to be that the two biggest parties are trying to divvy up all the power between them.

As Basil McCrea put it on BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics the other week, "We did not expect the DUP and Sinn Fein to be so pally.

"We did not expect the carve-ups they are doing on almost every issue."

Martin McGuinness' reaction to criticism has been brusquely dismissive, saying he would not be playing any "wee games" with Alliance.

The Finance Minister, Peter Robinson, has a more apocalyptic approach: "Without an agreed Programme for government, there cannot be government," he boomed.

At some point, the time will come to either accept or reject the budget and the Programme for Government.

Are the UUP and SDLP prepared to go all the way with their opposition within the Executive?

The DUP and SDLP's dilemma of executive decisions...

The Politics Show for Northern Ireland, with Jon Sopel and Jim Fitzpatrick on Sunday 02 December at 12:00 GMT on BBC One.

You get a second chance to see the programme again that night, at 22:55 BST on BBC One.

Let us know what you think.

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