Paisley Refuses to Nominate First Minister

[krayZpaving]

P.ie has learned that the DUP will not nominate a First Minister for the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly today.
The Leader of the DUP, Ian Paisley, has said that his party will not decide whether or not to enter the power-sharing Government until Sinn Féin has taken appropriate steps in relation to policing.

More as soon as we get it.

Update:
Stormont has now been evacuated after Loyalist leader Michael Stone gained access to the building left a bag on the ground. Bomb disposal experts are to examine the bag.

Update 2: (12:30)
BBC Radio are reporting some violent incidents, with one person hit with a brick and another stabbed - no other source yet.

[Marx]

Stormont evacuated broadcasts over

[popper]

But the whole thing will rumble on anyway! That's it until the elections next March. Tune in then for more wacky adventures.

[Abaddon]

Suprise! Suprise!

[cain1798]

What a ridiculous farce.

[Limerick Lad]

I thought the speaker handled the whole matter very badly even though I can slightly understand her confusion. When Mr Paisley finished speaking I thought he had refused to nominate so therefore the whole process was over but his speech seemed to go back and forth from one side to the other and at the end of it one wasn't 100% sure which side he had come down on. When he did not nominate clearly she should have asked him was he refusing to nominate and if he was she should have suspended the process. She appeared to have been given no guidelines on how to proceed if one or the other party leaders refused to nominate.

[edifice.]

What a ridiculous farce.

A new area of struggle? Did you notice how the proceedings and their interpretation were under the direction and control of Hain?

[popper]

A benign interpretation is that it allows the elections to go ahead after which both parties will be tied into a new Assembly. Indeed it is not impossible that the new Executive could also be founded on a similar arrangement. Something akin to one of those loveless marriages where the two parties completely ignore one another but stay together for the sake of the children and because neither of them can afford a second mortgage!

[Wolverine]

There's no point in trying to change Ian Paisley. He'll continue to find some excuse no matter what happens. Peter Robinson has been fairly damaged by this, but it appears that Paisley will have to kick the bucket before there's any chance of movememt.

Time to wind down the assembly and proceed with some form of joint authority until Paisley shuffles off the stage.

[edifice.]

There's no point in trying to change Ian Paisley. He'll continue to find some excuse no matter what happens. Peter Robinson has been fairly damaged by this, but it appears that Paisley will have to kick the bucket before there's any chance of movememt.

Time to wind down the assembly and proceed with some form of joint authority until Paisley shuffles off the stage.

Dublin doesn't want joint authority, neither does London.