Suzanne Breen
Today at 06:20
Not so long ago, the DUP was ceili dancing, playing camogie and learning a cúpla focal, but there’s a very different mood at Stormont as tensions rise in another culture war.
The last time the Irish language was the centre of a dispute in Parliament Buildings, it effectively collapsed the institutions.
Just before Christmas in 2016, Paul Givan decided to cut Liofa’s £50,000 funding which was used to take disadvantaged children to the Gaeltacht. It was the straw which broke the camel’s back for Sinn Fein as the cash-for-ash scandal raged.
The party pulled out of the Executive weeks later, and devolution wasn’t restored for another three years.
The DUP and Sinn Fein are currently at odds over the decision of Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins to approve £150,000 for Irish language signage at Belfast’s new Grand Central Station.
The DUP claims that “bad process” has been followed and, under Stormont rules, Kimmins should have brought the matter to the Executive for ministers to collectively consider rather than taking the decision herself.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly is raising the issue at Thursday’s Executive meeting. A senior Stormont source hopes for “cool heads and calm words” at the meeting. “This is a storm in a teacup,” the insider said.
“I don’t think anybody wants to bring the house down over it. These signs should have been installed when the station was being built but devolution was suspended at the time and no such decision was taken.
“It would be ridiculous to collapse Stormont over them. The consequences would be just too great for everybody in Northern Ireland. We need to focus on what matters like tackling health waiting lists, not wasting energy squabbling on something like this.”
Ultimately, it’s up to First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Little-Pengelly to jointly decide what issues are significant or controversial and should be put to a wider vote. The women are likely to disagree on the matter so, unless a compromise is brokered, this one will be sorted by the courts.
Loyalist Jamie Bryson has lodged legal papers to begin a judicial review against the Department for Infrastructure. He alleges Kimmins made a “significant controversial and divisive” decision to “impose” Irish language signs at Grand Central.
Work to install the signs has been paused pending the legal action. Sources say that if the minister doesn’t reconsider her stance, Bryson’s won’t be the only legal action and a DUP minister could also initiate judicial review proceedings.
The party is confident of winning such a challenge. The sources claim Kimmins went on a “solo run” in response to pressure from Irish language campaigners and unfavourably compare her actions to her predecessor John O’Dowd’s.
“The Grand Central project has involved managing complex stakeholder relationships. Almost everything was successfully navigated. John O’Dowd didn’t seek to pull a fast one over Irish language signs. He always sought agreement before moving forward,” an insider said.
“Liz Kimmins has come into office, and ripped up relations and ripped up his hard work. He spent a year working hard at managing relations in Sandy Row and the whole greater area. It’s an enormous slap down of his efforts.
“Putting out a press release with no warning on such a controversial issue is not how you build a shared future. If I were Liz Kimmins I’d be re-examining what I’ve done. I’d be listening carefully to legal advice and trying to find a middle road rather than going to court to lose.”
Other Stormont insiders strongly dispute that analysis. They say that Kimmins is in regular contact with all stakeholders and met Sandy Row residents last week to discuss the impact the new station is having on their businesses.
Sinn Fein says Kimmins “followed all proper processes and procedures in her role as minister, and that includes her responsibilities and commitment to an inclusive and rights-based society for everyone including Irish language speakers”.
Far from overstepping the mark, there’s a growing feeling in nationalist grassroots that Sinn Fein has let the DUP away with too much at Stormont.
Irish language campaigners blame the DUP for blocking funding for the cross-border Irish language organisation Foras na Gaeilge. It has been asked why John O’Dowd didn’t move on bilingual signs for Grand Central.
Some republicans believe Gordon Lyons’ soccer stadia funding should be delayed until progress is made on Casement Park.
It is also argued that the criteria the Department of Education is using to select schools for funding to help tackle underachievement should have been robustly challenged by Sinn Fein.
It is alleged that pupils in deprived communities who need help the most are being denied help because of the £20m RAISE programme criteria. There has been no concerted campaign by Sinn Fein on the issue.
The party is accused of not being sharp or quick enough to see the DUP gameplan and respond.
It is argued that Sinn Fein needs to “play hardball” with its opponent if it’s to deliver real change at Stormont. The SDLP is taking a notably strong line on Irish language signage at Grand Central Station.
The Executive’s first year was free of any major public disagreement between the big two. With the TUV breathing down the DUP’s neck, and Sinn Fein under pressure from its grassroots to toughen up, Stormont’s second year might not be quite as smooth.
by Browns_right_foot
6 comments
I thought that £150k was for Irish signs all over the place, but it’s only for Grand Central?
It should have been done at the start, but how did they come to that figure? Dipped in gold or something? It’s a bunch of signs. How expensive is it to make them and hang them?
Oh they may stand down over signs but apparently 38 percent increase in salary
.joke any excuse not to do actually anything ..wow ..argue over sins get our wages up n fuck the voters and people ..
As I and many have said had it been done at the construction it wouldn’t be this expensive.
Unionism is tripping over itself to stop this. From the expense which is then being compared to the bonfirr clean ups every year.
That it’s in Loyalist Sandy Row. This one took the biscuit for me. Its a public organisation in a shared public space that will be used by everyone. Therefore it should be inclusive hence the signs
Bumhole of the Bailey celebrating his legal action on pausing the works. Its a pause I have no doubt it will given the go ahead but cue the Nationalist infiltration of the judiciary complaints and two tier poor PUL second class citizens in their own country. I do feel sorry that many of them will now be unable to read either signage but I digress. He worked himself into a fury on Frank Mitchells radio show today admitting it’s not about the money but the Irish language being “imposed” on the country. The fucking irony given that in less than 3 months he will be advocating
OO marches imposed on the people of Ardoyne and Drumcree.
This debacle has shown Unionisms depravity, insecurity, and absolute hatred to their black hearts of anything Irish. Their union and empire is on its last breath, dying on its feet.
We have Irish signs virtually everywhere in Ireland. I can tell you from experience they cost virtually nothing extra compared to English only signs. Even the translation cost is seriously minimal.
Someone dithered here, either through being spooked, or intentionally (i.e. someone wanted a big headline) and now they need to do the job twice.
Honestly, the whole thing is such a gift to Sinn Féin and Nationalism and the Unionists don’t see it.
Unionism is allowing itself to be painted, yet again, as a narrow, bitter, exclusionary ideology which cannot stomach equal representation of Irish & British culture in a public space, and frankly regards anything Irish with disgust.
You just know that if ever Unionism had a large majority again they would have their boots on Nationalists throats in an instance. They’ll never change, that’s why we need a New United Ireland.
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