Local government stands at threshold

By Jim Fitzpatrick
BBC NI Politics Show

When he assumed office as first minister at the end of May, there was a lot of talk about the change of "brand" from Paisley to Robinson.

Writing at the time, I noted that the power of the Paisley brand had been to allow the unlikely partnership of Sinn Fein and DUP to survive a year in office.

Peter Robinson is facing a difficult time

Major achievements in policy weren't necessary as the most remarkable achievement had been simply holding things together.

Feel-good Factor

The general consensus was that brand Robinson would have a tougher time.

There would be no honeymoon or feel-good factor to distract the voters.

The measure of his success would be the effectiveness of the Executive and the resolution of difficult issues like the Maze, education, water charges and devolution of justice.

Four months later and Brand Robinson is in need of a major makeover: never mind resolving the key issues, the Executive hasn't even met.

With a change of first minister came a change of Sinn Fein tactics and the result is paralysis.

Before joining the Policing Board, Gerry Adams pledged that Sinn Fein would "put manners" on the PSNI. Patronising, even offensive, you might think.

Then again, David Trimble did talk about "house-training" republicans. It seems the current Sinn Fein strategy is to apply the same Barbara Woodhouse techniques to the DUP.

The danger now for Peter Robinson is that any resolution to current difficulties will be seen as the DUP being brought to heel.

But the danger of letting things continue to drift could be greater.

The more the IMC insists the IRA is a dead parrot, the more the sceptics argue that it's only sleeping

For as the clock ticks towards each election - from local council to European Parliament - all the time, the new leader seems tormented by the spectre of Jim Allister and his Traditional Unionist Voice.

Dead Parrot

The summitry which defined Peace Process politics has returned with visits to and from Downing Street.

It's enough to confuse voters here, never mind elsewhere, as network news goes big on a pronouncement from the Independent Monitoring Commission about an IRA Army Council that's done nothing in months.

But the more the IMC insists the IRA is a dead parrot, the more the sceptics argue that it's only sleeping.

The devolution era was supposed to be about something else: about effective local government.

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But when the local government seems incapable of even organising a meeting, it seems that Northern Ireland hasn't yet entered that new era.

It stands on the threshold, unsure if it's stepping forwards or backwards.

On the Politics Show this week we take a look at a council by-election taking place in Fermanagh next week.

What's the relevance? Well, the contest has been judged so important by the DUP that they've staked minister Arlene Foster's reputation on winning it.

So we've sent Martina Purdy to the county to dip her toe into the Erne and test the temperature.

And we've a snapshot of opinion from the streets of Northern Ireland as we ask voters what they make of their Executive's lack of summer progress.

See you Sunday

Jim

PS - The Sinn Fein/DUP partnership has been likened to a shotgun wedding. But spare a thought for young Levi Johnston who recently got his 17-year-old girlfriend pregnant.

The hockey ace who described himself on his web page as a "f-ing redneck" who "didn't want kids" not only had to digest the news that his wish was about to come untrue, but at the same time learnt that his girlfriend Bristol's mum was running for Vice-President of America; news of his predicament was about to go global; and that he'd be expected to propose immediately before joining the future in-laws at the Republican national convention in front of a worldwide television audience of billions.

To top it all his future mother-in-law is handy with a gun and is one republican who has no intention of decommissioning. Now that's a real political shotgun wedding.