The announcement yesterday by Northern Secretary Peter Hain of changes to local government structures in Northern Ireland is surprising for one simple reason; Sinn Fein is the only party supporting it. The proposal suggests cutting the number of councils from 15 to 7 and reducing the number of health boards (there are currently four!).

The DUP, SDLP, Alliance and UUP have all come out against it saying it is a “sectarian carve-up” which would likely lead to three nationalist controlled councils, three unionist controlled councils and one where the Alliance party would hold the balance. Sinn Fein have consistently backed these proposals and there are two possible reasons for this.

The first is that this reform would strengthen Sinn Fein’s power. Dr. Paisley has already come out saying that this development will allow nationalists to pursue a United Ireland in the councils they control. The second reason however seems more plausible to me; that these reforms are simply a ploy to get the unionists to cut a deal with Sinn Fein and reinstate power-sharing.

A quote from Hain sums it up best when he said "if they do not like the decisions I have taken, they better get back into government quickly in order to take forward the process of change”.

Published by Colm.