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Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie

Analysis Stormont is too fragile to be confident after one day's success

It was the DUP’s week in the lights, but Saturday was a different day.

JUST AFTER THREE o’clock on Saturday afternoon, the three men from the Northern Ireland Office stepped into Stormont’s Great Hall.

NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris was there with Minister of State Steve Baker and Lord Caine; having a moment on the stage at this beginning of yet another new beginning in the politics of the North.

Time will judge how wise the UK Government was to engage in a one-party negotiation with the DUP, and to produce a selling commentary about Britishness, the UK internal market and the Union, as they tried to push Jeffrey Donaldson and his party over the line and back into the Stormont Executive.

It was the DUP’s week in the lights, but Saturday was a different day.

“If there’s a wow factor, that was yesterday,” a veteran Belfast republican commented; “a day like no other.”

He was talking, of course, about what it all meant for Sinn Féin; a day “replete with symbolism” as Michelle O’Neill stepped forward as First Minister.

She walked in careful steps and chose considered words.

Her walk down that grand staircase, into the Great Hall and towards the Assembly Chamber perhaps the image that will more than any other be remembered from this day in the Stormont theatre.

Many of us who have watched the politics of this place over many years, will remember her not-so-sure steps and her nervous words when she first took over the republican leadership role in the North in the period of Martin McGuinness’s illness and just before his death in 2017.

Who would not have been nervous taking on that role and following in those footsteps. That was then.

We now see a much more confident Michelle O’Neill. Watched it yesterday. Heard it in her words. We see how comfortable she is in the company of people. How good she is in conversation.

The 8 February deadline was a signal.

When that target was set by the UK Government, we had a sense that the DUP was moving towards agreement.

And, in recent days, we have watched as Donaldson, his deputy Gavin Robinson, Gregory Campbell and others have fought off the critics of their deal with a simple challenge; publish your achievements. It has worked.

Inside the Assembly Chamber, we heard more of that from others in the party yesterday.

Donaldson will have been happy about how he was heard by loyalist leaders during a private briefing in Belfast on Tuesday. He was joined in that meeting by Gavin Robinson; encouraged also by the reaction to a number of his media interviews, and by what he has described as a “decisive” vote in his party Executive.

Is his deal perfect? No.

Did he get everything he wanted? No.

No negotiation delivers that type of outcome, but he spoke yesterday of bringing about change that many said was not possible.

There is no sense of Ulster at the crossroads.

The Stormont roof didn’t cave in on Saturday.

One of Donaldson’s key backers, a one-time and short-time leader of the party, Edwin Poots, is the new Speaker in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

His support for Donaldson is viewed as critical.

We know what Sinn Fein and the DUP won’t be able to agree on.

Our Past is never far behind us, and when we talk about it, we walk on eggshells.

There is no agreed narrative. There never will be.

But can this new Executive, in shared effort, help to begin to fix what is broken in health and education and policing; get the pay disputes settled, end the strikes, show us a politics that works?

Can Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little Pengelly (the deputy First Minister) surprise us as Paisley and McGuinness did in 2007?

I spent Saturday at Stormont sharing thoughts and analysis with the BBC News Channel, chatting with them throughout the day alongside the academic Dr Clare Rice.

And, as it was getting dark at teatime, this was my last thought. I remembered the cold on that political hill in January 2020, and the New Decade New Approach Agreement jointly presented by then Secretary of State Julian Smith and then Tánaiste Simon Coveney.

And I remembered a couple of days later (a Saturday) when we watched the same theatre at Stormont with all of the same media attention, and then Boris Johnson arriving, on a Monday I think, for his slice of the celebratory cake, before the Executive fell again in 2022.

I guess Rishi Sunak will want to take a bow; have a photograph of the latest political rescue mission in Belfast.

And my point is this, Stormont has fallen too many times for us to believe in it on the basis of just one day.

It is about what happens next; about politics working and about the review and change that might put it on more solid ground.

A deal, another deal, that makes the theatre of yesterday, is not good enough.

Stormont, if it is to be Stormont and our place of politics, needs something more.

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    Mute fiachra29
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:46 PM

    It’s frightening how easily they threw this lad in jail without any evidence and what was obviously a false confession, makes you wonder how many other vulnerable people have been thrown into US jails without any documentary team to come to their rescue.

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    Mute Patrick Norton
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:45 PM

    He’ll be able to watch Monday night raw now.

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    Mute Aimoo
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:57 PM

    Yeah from experiencing Monday night’s raw to watching it….

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    Mute John Smith
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:55 PM

    Why did it take so long?

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    Mute Robert Burke
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:14 PM

    The Wisconsin prosecutor are appealing the release order. The judge who made the decision in the summer ordered his release pending further court developments. He’s not in the clear yet.

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    Mute Paul Culligan
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:44 PM

    Netflix should secure the rights to film the court prosecution of the State’s police force. Now thats something I’d make a barrel of popcorn for.

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    Mute gold3n
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:43 PM

    Great

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    Mute Craig Ferguson
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:50 PM

    He’s got alot of WrestleMania’s to watch

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    Mute Tommy Doran
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:27 PM

    This kid should never of went to prison, it just looks like we need to get someone and put them away.

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    Mute Emer Caffrey
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    Nov 14th 2016, 11:51 PM

    next step civil damages

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    Mute John Sadlier
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    Nov 15th 2016, 12:04 AM

    Hide your cats

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    Mute EoinM
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    Nov 15th 2016, 3:37 PM

    That was his uncle. But keep trying, you never know one day you might be funny.

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    Mute Jonathan Sadlier
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    Nov 15th 2016, 3:46 PM

    @EoinM:
    ‘I don’t want your advice or your praise or to move in the ways you do, and I never will..’

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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Nov 14th 2016, 9:58 PM

    Imagine the first conversation with his mother when he gets out Him “yea” Mother “yea” Him “yea” Mother “yeeaaa”

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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:16 PM

    Buddy you’re 12 mins too late for that train

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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:29 PM

    Yea

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    Mute Frederick Burden
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    Nov 14th 2016, 10:34 PM

    Well done Donald.

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    Mute Saoirse Sparkes
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    Nov 15th 2016, 11:22 AM

    Just started watching the series last night. #spoileralert

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    Mute Gráinne Uí Dhuinn
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    Nov 16th 2016, 1:24 AM

    Police Officer: Brendan did you kill Harambe Brendam: I was in Jail.. Police Officer: You used the black gun to kill Harambe. What colour was the gun Brendan? Brendan Black Police Officer: I think we’re done here

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