Opinion

Allison Morris: Time for Sinn Féin to spell out its future intentions on Stormont

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said he personally believes it is a woman's right to choose whether she has an abortion. Picture by Mal McCann
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said he personally believes it is a woman's right to choose whether she has an abortion. Picture by Mal McCann Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said he personally believes it is a woman's right to choose whether she has an abortion. Picture by Mal McCann

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably direct rule.

As of this week we have a budget administered by Westminster, albeit one that was mainly retrospective to keep the lights on in an ungoverned and seemingly ungovernable Northern Ireland.

Secretary of state James Brokenshire has been careful not to call it direct rule, despite its waddling and quacking nature, given that would be a public admission of defeat.

No one really believed Sinn Féin and the DUP were working towards a deal during the last round of talks, leading to the last deadline that wasn't really a deadline, much like all the other deadlines that came before it.

How close the two parties came or not to securing an agreement we may never know, given they haven't even shared the details with many members of their own parties.

What we do know is that this cannot go on forever and eventually Mr Brokenshire will have to make a decision, something he is clearly trying to avoid at all costs as decision making, it seems, is not his thing.

All this makes people understandably weary of politics. Calls for MLA salaries to be slashed or even scrapped get louder with every day that passes.

We do however need to make sure we're not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

The devolved assembly was part of a peace accord that has made all our lives better.

While those too young to remember may not think society has improved the recent anniversary of the Enniskillen atrocity and the powerful documentary No Stone Unturned, investigating the Loughinisland massacre, should be a reminder of how far we've come.

That does not mean those we elect should be able to coast along in a sea of inadequacy, relying on the absence of violence as an excuse for their existence.

But it does means every possible opportunity and effort should be made to restore government before appointing direct rule ministers, many of whom who would need a satnav to find Northern Ireland.

This weekend will see Sinn Féin hold their ard fheis. The party that has run on an equality ticket has been found badly wanting when it comes to the rights of women to have autonomy over their own bodies.

It is the abortion debate and not the current political crisis north of the border that is likely to focus minds during the party's annual conference.

Progressive and welcome voices such as Sarah Holland and Eoin Ó Broin will attempt to drag the party's old guard to a place that is truly socialist in outlook and respects women's right to make their own choices.

However, this side of Christmas the party will still have to focus minds and be honest about whether they see a future in mandatory coalition with the DUP, or tell the electorate honestly if the Stormont experiment is over and spell out their alternative.

While this is no doubt a transitional time for Sinn Féin, it is the DUP leader Arlene Foster who has the biggest job of work ahead.

Even those within the party who deeply oppose same sex marriage must know that they are on the wrong side of history and social change is coming.

However, they do still have the hurdle of the Irish language act to overcome and that has been clearly not as easy to swing with the hardliners.

Mrs Foster has made a fatal error in dithering too long during negotiations which in the absence of Stormont has allowed the parliamentary wing of her party to grow in power and influence.

Among the ten MPs at Westminster are those hardest to keep in line and to allow people like Gregory Campbell, Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley to hold so much sway was a major error of judgment.

Without an assembly the DUP leader is just an out of work politician with the real power at Westminster, a place she is electorally excluded from.

That coupled with the startling revelations coming from the RHI inquiry will make the run up to this Christmas a trying time for the once iron lady of unionism as she tries to stay relevant in a changing political landscape.

The path is narrowing, it's back to Stormont or full fat direct rule with the chance of a major negotiation down the line that would see the Good Friday Agreement rendered obsolete, and that really would be a political failure of mammoth proportion.