Northern Ireland

Same old Stormont, same old tricks

THE restored Stormont promised reform and a new era of transparency but Political Correspondent John Manley finds the same protagonists are quickly falling back into their old ways

The New Decade New Approach document pledged to reform Stormont
The New Decade New Approach document pledged to reform Stormont The New Decade New Approach document pledged to reform Stormont

THERE’s a school of thought – not always enthusiastically subscribed to – that believes Stormont needed a longer period off-line to ensure the institutions were re-established with a genuine new attitude, new blood even.

It was argued that a purge of sorts was necessary to replace the personnel who had overseen the previous decade of dysfunction and disappointment. Those who urged our politicians unconditionally to 'get back into government’ were cautioned to be careful what they wished for.

The DUP-Sinn Féin-led administration that prevailed post-St Andrews had many flaws, a lot of which were unavoidable due to historical circumstances and the necessity for conflicting ideologies to somehow coalesce.

But rather than rise to the challenge and take difficult decisions, the 'big two' instead chose the path of least resistance, initiating a carve-up that enabled them both to appease their respective constituencies while doing nothing to tackle the issues that perpetuated division.

Meanwhile, the smaller parties were used variously as cover, mudguards or whipping boys. The two governments adopted a hands-off approach, believing securing devolution alone was enough.

It was this culture of sectionalism and clientelism that enabled the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) to be hatched and rolled out without consideration to the consequences, whether financial, environmental or political.

In plain sight, a flagrantly generous and ethically dubious scheme operated until the alarm was triggered not by any conscientious public servant or elected representative but by rapidly emptying coffers.

Other factors, apart from RHI, led to the collapse of Stormont. The pretence of consensus was up. The smaller parties finally got sick of being bullied and left the executive months before for the newly-acquired opposition benches, leaving the DUP and Sinn Féin's sham marriage exposed.

Amid the public outcry over RHI, Sinn Féin jumped from a ship that had been listing badly for years, holed by countless daily battles.

Three years on from a collapse whose symbolism was emphasised by Martin McGuinness's deteriorating health, the institutions are back in business, the desire to restore devolution greatly enhanced by a poor showing in December’s Westminster election for both the DUP and Sinn Féin.

The New Decade New Approach document that secured Stormont's restoration little over seven weeks ago contains many ambitious goals, a large portion of which were neglected or fudged by previous administrations.

Among the pledges to combat climate change, rationalise healthcare, build a shared society, cut quangos, tackle educational under-achievement and promote countless other measures that will help normalise Northern Ireland, there is a section on improving public trust in politics and the institutions in the wake of RHI.

The shortcomings in governance, alleged corruption and incompetency that characterised that scandal, will again be laid bare at the end of next week when Sir Patrick Coghlin publishes the findings of the RHI inquiry.

As this newspaper revealed last week, Arlene Foster, expected to be one of the report's main protagonists, is scheduled to be overseas at the time of publication.

But regardless of what the report says, it's likely that the DUP leader will be back at the executive table the following week, many of the backroom staff who previously advised her continuing to perform that role. Around the table and in the background will be other familiar faces, many of them implicated in past dysfunction.

To date, we've seen little evidence of the new approach that's meant to accompany the new decade. While there's been an absence so far of public bickering, there's been plenty of inconsistency in the statements emerging from the executive parties, while the Chinese walls erected to separate party personnel from government are being breached with increased regularity.

The transparency promised in the agreement has yet to be fulfilled. The executive fails to provide briefings about its meetings in the manner its counterparts do elsewhere, while Stormont’s lavishly-staffed press offices appear to be adopting the same strategy as before: being selective with whom they share information and often taking a frustratingly long time to respond to journalists’ queries.

By failing to properly review its flawed approach and maintaining the same autocratic attitude that prevailed in the decade after St Andrews, the executive appears destined to repeat the mistakes of the past and sow the seeds of its own demise.

The New Decade New Approach document made many grandiose pledges and was accompanied by rhetoric that suggested a willingness to improve accountability. Very quickly, however, the veneer of reform is fading and the same old faces are sliding back into their old ways.