Scandal Threatens Northern Irish Peace

While America navel gazes over Harry Reid's use of the word "negro," something serious is happening in Northern Ireland. The wife of the First Minister, Iris Robinson, MP, has found herself in something of a pickle. Not since Kitty O'Shea helped Charles Stewart Parnell wreck his career and condemn Ireland to a few extra decades of suffering has a woman had such an effect on Ulster's politics. It appears she had an affair with a 19-year-old and then got him £50,000 or so from property developers to start a cafe. Her husband, Peter Robinson, is taking a six week leave of absence to sort out the situation. He probably won't be back, and this undermines the fragile peace in Northern Ireland.

Under the daft arrangements of the Good Friday accord, there isn't really any opposition party in Ulster. Instead, the nationalists and the unionists split the government. The largest Orange party and the largest Green party work in coalition. Since the largest republican faction is Sinn Fein, the Democratic Unionist Party of Mr. Robinson is in a tough spot. If Mr. Robinson quits or can't get things fixed in the six weeks the constitution allows him to take off, Sinn Fein will almost certainly demand new elections. Sinn Fein will carry the day against the moderate Social Democratic Labour Party, which currently is leaderless.

Meanwhile, the DUP is likely to take a beating thanks to the shenanigans of the "Swish Family Robinson," (so dubbed by their rather grand lifestyle). The Progressive Unionists and the True Voice of Ulster (a new Paisley-ish bunch) will probably have a divisive race, and whoever wins gets to work with Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein, former chief of staff of the Provisional Irish Provisional Army. An uncomfortable place for both sides to be sure.

Currently, there is a very important piece of business before the Stormont assembly, the devolution of police and justice powers to Belfast from London. This is not a big deal to the unionists, but for the republicans, it is a matter of highest principal. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister had asked the main parties to nominate a justice minister not long ago. That's all on hold now.

Complicating this mess, of course, is the upcoming general election in Britain. It's the same story all over again in Northern Ireland. Everything that can go wrong, even down to "The Graduate" style infidelities of the First Lady of Ulster.

© Copyright 2010 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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