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Mary Lou McDonald speaking at a Council of Foreign Relations event in New York today. Friends of Sinn Féin

McDonald says Donaldson's refusal to renominate First Minister is 'astonishing'

Jeffrey Donaldson has urged Executive parties to focus on efforts to release £300m to ease the cost of living crisis.

LAST UPDATE | 14 Mar 2022

DUP LEADER JEFFREY Donaldson wants calls for his party to nominate a First Minister to be “parked” to focus on releasing £300 million to ease the cost of living crisis.

The DUP has been under pressure from the other parties to nominate a First Minister to allow the Executive to function for the final weeks of the Assembly term before it is dissolved for fresh elections.

Paul Givan resigned earlier this year as part of the DUP protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, a move which also removed deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill from the joint office.

Sinn Fein Stormont leader O’Neill said nominating a First Minister is the only way the Executive can agree a budget and release the £300 million.

Donaldson has rejected this, saying there are other options.

He has suggested household rates bills could be cut to help households amid the cost of living crisis.

And speaking to The Journal in New York today, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the fact Donaldson is refusing to nominate is “astonishing”.

McDonald said today that the £300 million cannot be disbursed, adding that her party have told Donaldson and the DUP that they need to re-nominate.

“We want an emergency exceptional meeting simply to disperse this money at a time when people are under pressure,” she said.

In the absence of an agreed budget, departments will have to rely on emergency arrangements to keep day-to-day services running in the 2022/23 financial year.

On Friday, party leaders were briefed by Department of Finance officials on the legal authority of parties to allocate money without Executive approval.

It is understood they were unable to agree how to allocate the £300 million.

On Monday morning, Donaldson wrote to the Executive party leaders to ask for details about bids from the different departments for the money, the PA news agency understands.

He also asked how much of the £300 million each leader wants to ease the cost of living crisis.

In his letter, Donaldson asked leaders to “park” the debate about whether a First Minister is needed and to reach an agreement on what the allocation amounts will be.

Meanwhile, the SDLP is set to try to introduce emergency legislation at Stormont to release the £300m.

McDonald has said Donaldson continues to “dodge” the question as to whether the DUP would be happy to govern in the North should Sinn Féin emerge as the largest party after the next election and with Michelle O’Neill has First Minister.

In “the here and now”, the institutions actually have to work, she said, stating that means the Executive has to work.

“It also means that whoever emerges as the largest party, and there is a chance that might be Sinn Féin for the first time, well then, you know, you respect that, just as we have respected,” she said. 

She recalled when Martin McGuinness went into power with Ian Paisley the first time.

“People were looking to the skyline to see if they were going to see pigs flying along it, but we made that work. The institutions have to work and that requires good faith from everyone,” she added. 

Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York this afternoon, she also said that “democracy has to be respected”.

After the election in May, it will be the case of “assessing the result, agreeing a programme for Government, rolling up the sleeves and getting back to work,” McDonald said.

The DUP argue for their right to remain within the union of Britain, while her party argues for a united Ireland, she said, adding that “what we both must do is, we have to play by the rule book and the rule book is the Good Friday Agreement”.

The GFA “must be defended. Nobody gets to put it through the shredder because it doesn’t suit them anymore”, McDonald added.

With reporting by Political Correspondent Christina Finn in New York.

TheJournal.ie will be bringing you all the latest updates from Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to Washington DC this week including his meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.

Stay up-to-date by following @christinafinn8@thejournal_ie or @TJ_Politics  and TheJournal.ie’s Facebook page.  

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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Mar 14th 2022, 10:56 AM

    Wee Jeffrey says NO again.

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Mar 14th 2022, 5:27 PM

    @Joe Johnson: They should be resigned to history for this carry on, stopping £300m of public moneys from being allocated. Utterly repugnant.

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    Mute Declan Moran
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    Mar 14th 2022, 12:31 PM

    Roll on May and wee Jeff will be consigned to the scrapheap with a bit of luck along with all his other DUP naysayers

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Mar 14th 2022, 11:21 AM

    Michelle O’Neil is pushing ahead with work at stormont without them anyway so he’s just made his party irrelevant and weak.

    348
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    Mute David F. Dwyer
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    Mar 14th 2022, 12:21 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: More so*.

    64
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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Mar 14th 2022, 5:50 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: Not this week – she is in Washington.

    30
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    Mute Gerard McConnell
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    Mar 14th 2022, 12:57 PM

    Hold off on paying them and see how fast they are at renominating a first minister. It would be a record yes for the No party

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    Mute James Francis Morrison
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    Mar 14th 2022, 12:35 PM

    Electioneering on the backs of the people without any regard for their wellbeing.

    122
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    Mute Chin Feeyin
    Favourite Chin Feeyin
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    Mar 14th 2022, 5:53 PM

    The Shinners on here complain about Micheal Martin going to Washington this week, but have no problem with Mary Lou and Michelle O’Neill going over the same week “to engage with influential members of the House and Senate”.

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    Mute camio55
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    Mar 14th 2022, 5:41 PM

    We were also astonished when SF collapsed the executive in 2017. Just more of SF speak hoping that we all forget their actions in the past. I sometimes think SF thinks we are all terribly gullible and in their minds they hope we will remain so especially when they issue this sort of admonishment of others.

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    Mute M Bowe
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    Mar 14th 2022, 6:35 PM

    @camio55: 2017 we had a severely mismanaged scheme( at best, possibly corrupt) that was costing close tohalf Billion pounds. 2022 we have an internation agreement which the assembly have little or no influence over.

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    Mute camio55
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    Mar 14th 2022, 7:16 PM

    @M Bowe: The public inquiry into the “cash for ash” scheme found that there was no corruption. It concluded that there were a series of errors by both civil servants and politicians in the administration of the scheme. SF collapsed the executive (prior to the enquiry) and NI had no elected government for three years.

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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Mar 14th 2022, 7:31 PM

    @camio55: cash for Ash and also Irish language rights. And more importantly Marriage Equality….
    Hardly equates with a protocol majority in north support and anyway was self inflicted by the DUP. Take your medicine!

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    Mute camio55
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    Mar 14th 2022, 8:28 PM

    @Peter McGlynn: SF collapsed in 9 January 2017 because of the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme issues and no other matters at that time. Thereafter (over the next three years) the DUP/SF started their usual procrastinations and issued demands to satisfy their sectarian bases. Both parties have proven they are unable to govern for the better good of all those that live in NI.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Mar 14th 2022, 1:11 PM

    “Ulster Say Park” it just not cut it really!

    41
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    Mute Declan McArdle
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    Mar 14th 2022, 5:44 PM

    @Gary Kearney: Tayto says Park.

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    Mute Malachy
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    Mar 14th 2022, 6:46 PM

    Why can’t there wages be cut?

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    Mute David Haye
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    Mar 14th 2022, 2:23 PM

    A man of integrity

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    Mute Baronvoncass
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    Mar 14th 2022, 6:28 PM

    Actually gas that they have the same surname….. Donald be turning in his grave….. Somewhere in Scotland I presume

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    Mute Chris Gaffney
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    Mar 14th 2022, 8:37 PM

    It’s like a punch and judy show!! Not much sense on either side..

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    Mute Chris Mc
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    Mar 15th 2022, 8:48 AM

    What’s the difference between what he’s done and the 3 years SF collapsed storment?

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