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Updated 4.10pm
A BROAD AGREEMENT has been brokered between Northern Ireland’s politicians who’ve been seeking a deal on a range of issues affecting the power-sharing administration.
The talks on welfare reform, flags, parades and the past have continued for the past 12 weeks including the past 30 hours at Stormont House. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers had set a firm deadline of today for an agreement to be reached.
In a statement a short time ago, the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said a “broad agreement” was reached and said this covers the four main issues.
Here are some of the main points of the Stormont House Agreement:
A commission is to be set up as “way forward” on the issues of flags, identity, culture and tradition, Flanagan said.
A comprehensive framework for dealing with the “corrosive legacy of the past” has also been laid out.
“This framework includes an oral history archive; a dedicated Historical Investigations Unit which will investigate Troubles-related deaths; and an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval to enable victims and survivors to seek and receive information about the death of their loved ones,” Flanagan explained.
BBC News reported that the North’s First Minister Peter Robinson said he would be recommending the agreement to the Democratic Unionist Party’s executive.
The Ulster Unionist Party’s Mike Nesbitt said that he would ask his party to give the proposals “a fair wind” while saying no party was able to agree a 100 per cent endorsement.
As the talks progressed earlier politicians were tweeting during breaks in meetings with Sinn Féin MLA and NI First Minister Martin McGuinness tweeting this:
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams followed up with this version of the selfie:
On a more serious note, the Ulster Unionist MLA was not optimistic as dawn broke over Stormont earlier:
Yesterday, the British Prime Minister David Cameron made an offer of £1.5 billion in loans and grants over the next decade following a request for £2 billion package from the Northern Executive.
While the UK has improved it’s latest financial offer it was not keen to write off £214 million in fines levied on the Executive because of delays in implementing reforms introduced in the rest of the UK nearly three years ago.
The BBC’s Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport had earlier said that the main sticking point was how to deal with the legacy of the past and in particular the remit of agencies being set up to deal with historical issues.
The millions of pounds in grants and loans over the next decade had been conditional on a deal being reached on outstanding legacy issues.
The Irish government’s Minister of State for North-South Cooperation, Seán Sherlock, who is involved in the talks, had some compelling listening to do in between meetings:
While others, such as Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, were finding some odd places to sleep:
First published 7.37am
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Well they should have moved earlier everyone knew what lay ahead
@John O Donoghue: “a baby recovering from pneumonia”, would I’m sure impact any travel arrangements they were trying to make, have a heart, everyone was late to this covid party, some people are still only arriving!..
@Kate Flaherty: the baby would’ve had a better chance at coming back earlier than now if they decided to take the right decision a couple of weeks ago. Now I doubt they’d be able make it home with how fast everything is escalating.
@Dalya Al-Tulaihi: The baby is recovering” we have no idea of the timeline, I’m sure they followed medical advice with regard travel etc..
@Kate Flaherty: well either way, I hope they get home safe and the baby is unaffected
@John O Donoghue: you’re in fowl form today and well done for knowing every ones circumstances. Good man.
@Dalya Al-Tulaihi: That we can agree on!…
@Kate Flaherty: would the govt jet be as cheap I wonder?
@John O Donoghue: Fishin for likes…. Go away yea clown!!!
@Dalya Al-Tulaihi: nonsense, nobody knew how the severe and fast the impact was going to be for EU and then the rest of the world. Everythings always cleared in hindsight
@John Egan: maybe you didn’t know, everyone with half a brain cell would’ve figured out it’ll be bad.
@John Egan: hindsight,
You could see this coming months ago
@Dalya Al-Tulaihi: we didn’t all go to college
@Paddy Dunne: share your knowledge of 2 months into the future with the rest of us then because I’m sure the WHO gladly accept your forcast
@Paddy Dunne: so you have been self isolating since January? I hope you use this crystal ball of yours to help others going forward
@John O Donoghue: you could do with a holiday
@John O Donoghue: stop
@Paddy Dunne: give us next weeks lotto numbers
Everyone’s a COVID expert now all of a sudden!
@Lochlainn Marcus: the known and unknowns of this virus are pretty clear. Doesn’t take anything particularly special to understand what the science already knows about this virus.
there is 2 Irish Airline Carriers with all their planes sitting on the deck, why cant one of these idle planes be hired, flown to peru to collect our citizens and return directly to Ireland where the plane can be sanitised and quarantined and the returning people can be quarantined for 14 days here, instead of flying them at ridiculous prices to a covid ridden London, then on to Dublin, then on to Irish Public Transport systems to get home?
@Alan K: what part of all Peruvian airports will close didn’t you understand?
massive cities in China in lockdown and in Europe. you think the virus wasn’t on every paper and TV channel in Peru? people had more than enough time to get home. they need to stay out of Ireland until the EU border reopens however long that may be.
@Alan K: because Peru won’t let them in!!!
@Quiggers: most posters here dont Google before they post. Or even read the articles.
@Alan K: Not 2 airline’s, only Aer Lingus have jets capable of flying to Peru, Ryanair only use 737 aircraft, which cant do the distance to Peru.
@Paul Furey: a lot of posters need a kick in the whole. this is just beginning. just wondering how many deaths per day it will take before it dawns on the plebs. the annual road traffic deaths on a daily basis maybe?
@Quiggers: nearly 800 alone in Italy today. Staggering and won’t hit home until it becomes personal
Well they should have moved earlier everyone knew what lay ahead
@John O Donoghue: agreed. I moved guests out of Dublin accommodation to my home in Wexford (putting my own life at risk) where they could walk and appreciate the country side. Thankfully now gone home to Canada. They should not of come here in the first place. The fecker is some Irish are travelling to Tennerife tomorrow for their discounted holiday. They deserve to be stuck there.
@Paul Somers: idiots
@Paddy Dunne: in this situation nobody knows where it end and how far it will go better off at home instead of been steamed and then expect the government to help them home
@Paul Somers: I don’t believe that
@Paul Somers: they deserve a spell in mountjoy.
@Paul Somers: will head out and pick up a medal for you
@Patrick Agnew: fact
@Paul Somers: Moving people from Dublin to Wexford is putting more than your life at risk. Stop spreading it around Paul.
@Paul Somers: Really? Anyone travelling out now can suffer the consequences when/if they return home
Please be mindful of the staff at Lisbon airport . We’re facilitating repatriations from other countries and the airport is packed . Keep your safety distances and wear a mask if possible . Protect yourself and the staff . Be kind .
Send the government jet, we own it don’t we
@Nan: The Learjet 45 has a range of 3k kilometers, Peru is 6k kilometers away. Even crossing the Atlantic would be awkward, it’d have to go to Newfoundland first and then stop again in order to make the long trip South. Not to mention complications about international flights landing for refuel (if this wasn’t an issue they could fly home themselves).
@Nan: The government jet would not be suitable. Have you seen the size of it?
@Nan: except it won’t be allowed to land. Bit of a problem there!
@Nan: hard luck Nan! Google before you post.
Sh;t hit the fan long before this deadline that was set. They should have used some cop and moved earlier instead of finding themselves in the situation they’re in now.
@Billy Davies: the would have but the cost of flights was beyond them. I know if it was me and family, I simply don’t have €12,000 to fly is home.
So many degenerates in this comment section(as per usual on the journal). We got 24hrs notice to leave, when all flights were already booked out. In a country with next to 0 cases compared to Europe.
@Sean Martin: completely agree Sean but sure everyone is an expert and don’t understand what is happening over here. I hope you get home safely soon too.
@Sean Martin: Best of luck sean hope you manage to work something out. So thoughtless of that govt to suddenly close airports and not let travelers already there make arrangememts. Its never that simple
@Anna69ii: Hi Anna. It wont accept my credit card. I’ve tried 3 different cards.
rightly so…
And what is that third paragraph?
Folks I know there is a lot of people that spend half their lives talking rubbish on social media for a bit of craic. I don’t understand it personally but please everyone just realise the gov has to order complete lockdown immediately. I drove down O’Connell street today (for urgent message) after 8 days in house with kids as per government recommendations. The footfall was nearly back to normal and it was like zombie land. Even worse than normal and the inner city is horrific for crime..it seems the gov message isn’t getting through to the locals. If Leo and his cronies have any respect for the health workers who are putting their lives at risk n not seeing kids/ families he should order lockdown immediately for period of two weeks at least as has been done in Spain France Italy etc etc
Send the Navy over for them
No effort or expense should be spared by the state to rescue these poor people from their holiday.
And what is that third paragraph?
The UK say that without complete obedience thay will be the next Italy. Due to the procrastination and arogance and failures of their leaders they will be the next Italy regardless of their populations obediance. In 4 weeks time they will be reporting 800 to 1000 deaths. Its very sad and tagic but the horse has bolted. All we can do is pray for the poor unfortunate people who get ill. I believe Ireland has a chance to beat this but we need a full lockdown to do it. We have a partial lockdown which is sub optimal.
Doesn’t matter where they are. Bigger risk if u go to airports. Just stay indoors for the next 15 days. Why the panic to get home? Coronavirus here too.
Go away with that now joe
@Poppa Noob: The Peru 135!! It took a few years for that other pair to get back. I don’t fancy this lots chances of getting home anytime soon.
Could think of worse places to be stuck, with all that snow n that
Colombian borders are now closed as well. There might be some people stuck here too.
Clearly the government should fund the full cost of getting these people home. This is an emergency situation. South Africa spent r35 million to fly its citizens home from China. Germany sent four planes to bring home its citizens stranded in Cape Town. This emergency situation demands an emergency response.
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