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Ritchie: Sinn Féin must not negotiate away nationalist rights

SDLP Social Development Minister Margaret Richie MLA has called on Sinn Fein to stop negotiating away the rights of nationalists in the talks with the DUP over the devolution of Justice and Policing.

Mon 18th January

She warned that any new Justice Minister must be appointed on the basic principles of power-sharing, namely a return to d’Hondt.

 

Minister Ritchie also demanded no reversal of the progress made on parading.

 

She said:  “The devolution of Justice and Policing would have happened long ago but for the ineptitude of Sinn Fein at the St Andrews negotiations where the DUP sold them a pig in a poke.

 

“Now the DUP and Sinn Féin have been forced to refocus because both parties and their leaders have been exposed.

 

“They are doing business to protect their own backs.

 

“The message from the SDLP is simple. Sinn Fein gave the DUP a veto on the appointment of a Nationalist minister. It must be removed.

 

“If there is to be an 11th Minister then by any democratic standards it must be a nationalist minister. At present there are six unionist ministers and four nationalist. By rights this would shift to a 6-5 split but under current proposals Sinn Fein will allow the Unionist advantage to become 7-4.

 

“It would appear we are back to the old Stormont where a nationalist vote counted for less than a unionist vote and where nationalists were under-represented in Government.

 

“If the DUP wants to avoid a Nationalist Justice Minister then they must re-run D’Hondt for all Departments. They must not be allowed to give a nationalist ministry to a unionist.

 

“The SDLP wants the devolution of Justice and Policing but we are concerned it will come at the expense of hard-fought rights of Nationalist inclusion in government.”

 

In addition to insisting on equality in representation Minister Ritchie also demanded no reversal of the progress made on Parading.

 

She added: “The DUP wants to turn the clock back on parading and Sinn Fein must not agree to let them. We have made huge progress on stopping sectarian coat-trailing parades in the North and we must not go back to the bad old days.

 

“Sinn Fein must stand up for the continuation of the Parades Commission and the so-called Ashdown Parading Review must be consigned to the dustbin.”

 

Margaret Ritchie

Margaret Ritchie MP, Westminster

Email m.ritchie@sdlp.ie
Tel 028 4461 2882

Press Office

Tel 028 90 52 1837

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