Devolution of policing and justice final piece in peace process jigsaw

Posted on 10/03/10 by Niall Blaney

The devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland marked a truly historic day for the people of Northern Ireland and I am delighted that the deal was secured yesterday.

Most of us can remember the traumatic, troubled times in the six counties and this move marks the final piece in the jigsaw of the peace process.

Direct rule from London will cease on April 12th and the citizens of Northern Ireland will have control over their own policing and justice issues through their elected representatives in Stormont.

This sends out the strongest possible message to the world that the democratic institutions in Northern Ireland are working and that the democratic will of the people to live in peace must be respected.

There remains a tiny minority that wants to cause unrest and who continue to involve themselves in horrendous, criminal activity. They must see that their actions are not supported. What the people of Northern Ireland now need is leadership and I am very happy to say that that leadership was shown in abundance yesterday.

I would like to commend the First Minister Peter Robinson, the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, An Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for their efforts in resolving the issues surrounding the devolution of policing and justice powers.

Niall Blaney is TD for Donegal North East and Co Chair of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

» For more from the party, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and join our Youtube channel.

blog comments powered by Disqus (Comments are moderated)