They say a week is a long time in politics; after months of stalemate, negotiations and uncertainty, there have been a number of fresh starts all round at Stormont.
The ink has barely dried on the deal that was concluded last week between Sinn Féin, the DUP, and the UK and Irish Governments ‘A Fresh Start: the Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan'. This latest Agreement contains fresh obligations on elected representatives to work together to rid society of paramilitarism; it includes a deal to allow Welfare Reform to be implemented with the most generous safeguards in the whole of the UK; and it paves the way for the devolution of Corporation Tax powers, with a reduced rate of 12.5% to be introduced in April 2018. Crucially, it promises ‘a fresh start’ for devolution in Northern Ireland.
Rapid implementation on some of its core components, not least that protracted issue of Welfare Reform, has been proceeding at pace, and is expected to receive Royal Assent imminently.
It’s not just the functioning of the Stormont Executive that has been promised a fresh start. Just two days after news of the deal having been done, First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson announced that he will retire from front-line politics, probably after Christmas. Robinson has served as First Minister since 2008, and is only the second person to have served as DUP leader since the party’s formation over 40 years ago.
Robinson’s decision came just days before his Party’s Conference that took place last weekend. In his last leader’s speech to the DUP faithful, Robinson reflected on the recent deal, and what he considers to be his legacy: “the state of our party is secure, our Province is safe, and the Union is secure”.
Whereas his predecessor Ian Paisley may be remembered for doing the deal with Sinn Féin at St Andrew’s, history may regard Robinson not only as a ‘steely tactician’ behind the scenes but also as the First Minister who embedded devolution here. Who will succeed him as Party leader, and indeed First Minister remains to be seen. The likely scenario appears to be the roles being divided, with current Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds MP becoming Party Leader, and Arlene Foster MLA taking over as First Minister.
Of course, we must not forget the other big ‘fresh start’ witnessed in Northern Ireland politics, with the youthful MLA Colum Eastwood having recently replaced veteran MP Alasdair McDonnell as leader of that Party. It will be interesting to see if Colum can manage to instil that ‘feel good factor’ within the SDLP in advance of next May’s Assembly elections.
Combined with a degree of momentum that appears to be building in the UUP, winning back two new seats in the Westminster elections, and former DUP Councillors ‘returning home’ to the UUP, there has been a fluidity in local politics that we haven’t seen in a long time. It’s fresh starts all round.