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Joe Biden and Bertie Ahern urge action on Stormont collapse

The US president said the North has an ‘incredible opportunity’ for economic growth.

LAST UPDATE | 16 Apr 2023

NORTHERN IRELAND HAS an “incredible opportunity” for economic growth, US president Joe Biden has said, as he pledged to continue to work with the UK and Irish governments to restore devolution.

“We have more to do in the North,” the president told reporters in Delaware yesterday.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has similarly called for action to restore Stormont powersharing, as he praised Rishi Sunak’s efforts to break the impasse over post-Brexit trade.

On his four-day visit to the island of Ireland, Biden claimed “hundreds” of US corporations were ready to invest in the North – but were “cautious” about the lack of devolved government in the region.

He also said the UK should be working more closely with the Irish government to support the people of Northern Ireland.

The president again addressed the powersharing impasse at Stormont yesterday when he was back in the United States.

Devolution is in cold storage at Stormont due to a political impasse over post-Brexit trade.

“We have more to do to get the government formed. And I think we can still do that and it’s important,” he said.

“And I’ll continue to work with the Prime Minister of England as well as the Taoiseach.”

Bertie Ahern

Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland came as the region marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark Good Friday peace accord that created Stormont’s powersharing institutions.

president-biden-visit-to-the-island-of-ireland Joe Biden delivers his keynote speech at Ulster University PA PA

The DUP is blocking those institutions in protest at Brexit trade barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has said the framework does not go far enough to address its concerns over sovereignty.

There had been speculation that Biden would address the Stormont Assembly on his visit north of the border, but that plan did not materialise, with suggestions that the powersharing deadlock was a determining factor.

Throughout his trip to the island, Biden repeatedly expressed hopes of a return to devolution north of the border and insisted stable governance at Stormont could deliver an economic windfall for the region.

Bertie Ahern has urged the DUP to reach a compromise to restore Stormont powersharing.

He said it was not tenable or sustainable for the party to stick rigidly to the same position.

Ahern commended Sunak’s attempts to secure a return to devolution as he said Ireland had experienced “great difficulty” in its dealings with Boris Johnson during the Brexit process.

Asked in an interview with Sky News what his message to the current DUP leadership would be, he said past unionist political leaders in Northern Ireland, such as the late David Trimble and Ian Paisley and also Peter Robinson, had shown a willingness to compromise to make progress.

“You do not make much progress in politics if you don’t do that,” he said.

“And I think we have to get away from, you know, ‘this is the position and no other position is satisfactory’, it’s not tenable or sustainable.

“And it’s not in the interests of the people in Northern Ireland – there are huge issues in Northern Ireland, as there is everywhere else.”

Ahern said the Windsor Framework “nearly solves” the issues standing in the way of a return to powersharing.

“There seems to be a few outstanding ones that have to be resolved,” he added.

The former Fianna Fáil leader contrasted Sunak’s approach with that taken by Johnson.

“To be honest, it doesn’t really matter to me who the prime minister of the United Kingdom is, that’s a matter for the United Kingdom, but you will appreciate that we found it very difficult to deal with Boris,” he said.

“He seems to be a very colourful guy and a very nice guy but, you know, we had the trouble with the backstop, we had trouble with the protocol, we had a lot of trouble with Brexit in the first place.

Quite frankly, I don’t think we would have had the institutions in Northern Ireland down on and off for the last six or seven years if it hadn’t been for Brexit and it’s caused us untold difficulties and problems.

“But we try in Ireland to live in the future and we try and get on with things.

“Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister has really done a good job in our estimation here in the last six months, he has invigorated the efforts to get everything working in Northern Ireland.”

Ahern referred to Sunak’s attendance last November at the British Irish Council – one of the east/west bodies established by the Good Friday Agreement.

He said it was “quite odd” that prior to that engagement a UK PM had not attended such a meeting in 15 years.

Ahern said that level of engagement is what he believed US President Joe Biden was referring to last week when he said the UK should be working more closely with the Irish government to support the people of Northern Ireland.

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    Mute mick h
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    May 5th 2015, 6:19 AM

    I think that this needs to be brought in to law and is long overdue. People do not take these sort of decisions lightly and it’s the alternative of a long, drawn out and painful death that drives them to this point. I believe that anyone who is facing an inevitable death through illness deserves the right to choose a dignified and far less painful means of passing. It’s far easier on the person who is suffering and on their loved ones – it’s just the humane thing to do.

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    Mute Richard Cynical
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    May 5th 2015, 8:12 AM

    That headline alone shows what’s wrong with party politics. Vote for your favourite dictatorship.

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    Mute Barry O 'Mahony
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    May 5th 2015, 7:09 AM

    Doctors who ‘assist’ terminally ill patients not only face possible criminal prosecution but would also run the risk of being struck off the register.
    On the other hand as a veterinarian, failure to euthanase a terminally ill animal who is suffering from uncontrollable pain, could result in prosecution and/or being struck off.

    QED The law can sometimes be an arse.

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    Mute Joe
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    May 5th 2015, 11:51 AM

    Does euthanasia not go totally against the Hippocratic oath?

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    Mute Ugly Truth
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    May 5th 2015, 11:58 AM

    Not since the ‘practice’ needed more office space.

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    Mute Aaron McKenna
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    May 5th 2015, 12:04 PM

    As far as I’m aware, there’s nothing in the Hippocratic oath that specifically tells doctors they can’t help someone die. Indeed, an awful lot of the oath talks about treating a person, not a disease; and applying human compassion.

    If the oath was “Keep someone alive as long as possible” we wouldn’t have hospices where people go once a decision has been made that enough is enough. Plenty of people go into one, get big doses of morphine and slip away peacefully after long battles have been fought to their conclusion.

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    Mute Le Tigre
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    May 5th 2015, 12:57 PM

    “First do no harm”. It’s hardly harm to spare someone pain. You could say inaction is harmful

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 5th 2015, 12:58 PM

    Something something noxious substances…
    Anyone who googles the oath can see it’s not about killing people.

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    May 5th 2015, 1:58 PM

    There’s a fine line between positive steps with the purpose of ending a life – which is currently illegal, and the exception of accelerating death – i.e. “a terminally ill or dying person will receive adequate pain relief and palliative care, even if this treatment as a side-effect may contribute to the shortening of the individual’s life.” – which IS legal and is spelt out in the Medical Council’s guide to medical conduct.

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    May 5th 2015, 2:01 PM

    @ Aaron – you’re confusing personal autonomy and futile attempts to prolong life with assisted suicide – two distinctly different areas of law.

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    Mute Shanti
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    May 5th 2015, 3:56 PM

    Doctors no longer swear the Hippocratic oath. Some swear a duty of care oath, but many don’t swear any oath at all.

    They’re well aware that they’re on the hook if anything is done wrong, that’s a far bigger incentive than an oath.

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    Mute Barry
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    May 5th 2015, 6:29 AM

    We’re a messed up society, we think it’s wrong to allow any animal to suffer before it dies and we’ll often opt to end things early to stop suffering for our pets.

    But as a country we have no problem letting one of our own species needlessly suffer before death, most of this is based on religions that claim that ending things early is “immoral”.

    So apparently the moral thing is to watch you’re loved ones suffer and to ignore their wishes, requests and wants to die with dignity.

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    May 5th 2015, 12:15 PM

    We aren’t really messed up. It is a complex issue that needs to be well thought out before implementation.
    I support the right to choose but there are valid concerns about it not being done for convenience.
    Would an elderly parent ask for euthanasia if they realised their care put their children in financial hardship?Ate into inheritance ?
    Would the children push for it? Is medication or illness effecting the decision making?
    I am glad we are in a society that wants to safe guard people and not allow the wrong thing for the right reason.

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    Mute Marty Flood
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    May 5th 2015, 11:58 AM

    Why not a referendum on this instead of the presidential age bullshit?

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    Mute stephen
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    May 5th 2015, 2:05 PM

    Great point Marty.

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    Mute Joe O'Brien
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    May 6th 2015, 11:48 AM

    Please no referendum. I’ve had enough of Iona & the god squad to last me a lifetime.

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    Mute Mark O'Hagan
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    May 5th 2015, 6:57 AM

    The next pro-life crusade. Prolong life without regard for the wishes of the person’s dignity. Mere existence isn’t living.

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    Mute Richard Cheney
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    May 5th 2015, 7:50 AM

    Exactly,another Crusade for David Quinn and Breda O’Brien trying to keep Iona relevant. They’ll probably roll out a skeleton with a ventriloquist and ask him ‘You didn’t want to die did you Mr.Bones?’ and then something about cultural Marxism.

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    Mute John Ryan
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    May 5th 2015, 12:46 PM

    I won’t be held responsible for my actions it her or her like come anywhere near this one.

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    Mute Le Tigre
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    May 5th 2015, 12:56 PM

    Since you mention it, where was the “pro-choice” vigil for Marie Fleming? Are only certain choices worth marching for?

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    Mute pongodhall
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    Sep 11th 2015, 3:15 AM

    It should be up to the individual and not to pro-life, doctors, lawyers etc.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    May 5th 2015, 7:44 AM

    I would back this and vote for this. It should be a basic human right. I have watched 2 of my relatives die in absolute pain. One said to me “I’m having a very long death aren’t I”. That still haunts me.

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    Mute Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin
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    May 5th 2015, 7:18 AM

    This is such an important case. Journalist Dave Kenny will be talking to Marie’s daughter Corinna and her ghost writer Sue Leonard about Marie’s remarkable life at Waterford Writers Weekend on 9th May if anyone wants to show their support in person.
    http://www.eventbrite.ie/e/an-act-of-love-the-marie-fleming-story-tickets-16035415359

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    Mute Proinsias Ó Foghlú
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    May 5th 2015, 9:16 AM

    We really need to enact this law as soon as possible, but I expect the RCC to do all in their power to stop it from happening.

    If a person of sound mind has specifically requested it then I cannot see any valid reason for prolonging their life to suffer pain and indignity.

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    Mute helixjo1
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    May 5th 2015, 11:43 AM

    Can’t see any reason to argue against this.

    Though compassion can sometimes be over-ruled by lunacy in this country.

    It really is time we all started living in the 21st century and applying a little logic to these situations.

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    Mute Joe O'Brien
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    May 5th 2015, 11:40 AM

    If a candidate in Galway West supports this legislation, then I’ll happily give them my No.1 vote.

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    Mute Philip Kenna
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    May 5th 2015, 8:20 AM

    Td’s break ranks! Pfffft! I’m afraid that with regards to this subject you will have to look after your own affairs discretely. The powers that be haven’t the mettle to tackle this in the race to get re elected. Sorry “TRY” to get re elected.

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    Mute Denise Friary
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    May 5th 2015, 6:07 AM

    Every one has the right to die in peace and if they didn’t broadcast their private business to the world then that would happen.

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    Mute Derek Walsh
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    May 5th 2015, 10:37 AM

    Unfortunately, people’s right to die in peace is not recognised by the law, and people can be and have been prosecuted for helping someone to die peacefully even when they didn’t “broadcast” it. The culture of having laws that we allow people to ignore while authorities look the other way is not one we want to perpetuate or depend upon.

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    Mute Jake Race
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    May 5th 2015, 12:00 PM

    Please, lets stop tolerating Irish solutions to Irish problems.

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    Mute Le Tigre
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    May 5th 2015, 12:55 PM

    That’s a meaningless cliche and we should stop tolerating it

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    Mute Charliegrl80
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    May 5th 2015, 9:26 AM

    Well done Tom!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Mute Middle Class Cork
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    May 5th 2015, 7:16 AM

    I agree with Tom Curran! I think TD’s have the right to die and the sooner the better.

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    Mute stephen
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    May 5th 2015, 2:11 PM

    I am in total favour of the right to die campaign, but having watched both parents and a sibling die of cancer related illness, I have to say they died with dignity with the help of the amazing hospice staff and the advance of pain killers. But I am not as brave if I have a terminal disease,I want the option to be euthanised.

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 5th 2015, 12:02 PM

    What an interesting little country we live in…
    The Supreme Court finds against a right to die – yet we can introduce one by legislation.
    The High Court refuses to recognise Same Sex Marriage, so we need a referendum – despite a constitutional bar to legislating for it.
    The Dáil is not permitted to debate TMFR – because of an AGs opinion that cannot be seen.
    This is why the bankers are laughing!

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 5th 2015, 9:29 PM

    Dammit that should be no constitutional bar to legislating…

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    Mute Finn Mc Cool
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    May 5th 2015, 3:25 PM

    All the comments are just barking mad… Who says brainwashing doesn’t happen ?

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    Mute Gerard
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    May 5th 2015, 3:55 PM

    I have a problem with neither, but I can’t say I see the difference between “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia”.

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    Mute Shanti
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    May 5th 2015, 3:59 PM

    Euthanasia is where someone else decides to end your suffering – this is what happens with animals.

    Assisted suicide is where the person has asked to die. Meaning that it’s *their* intent, not the choice or intent of the assistant.

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    Mute Gerard
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    May 6th 2015, 6:01 AM

    But when we talk about euthanasia being legal elsewhere, it’s ALWAYS is as per your definition (for people).

    Anyway, hope he’s successful but I think his estimation of how many TDs are willing to defy the whip is wishful thinking at best.

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    Mute Dermot O Reilly
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    May 5th 2015, 3:25 PM

    Is this Endas next big plan.

    Wipe out any person over 70 years?

    Is Enda sane?

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    Mute Shanti
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    May 5th 2015, 3:57 PM

    Where on earth did you get that from the article?

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 5th 2015, 9:30 PM

    Shanti,
    I know you’re in favour of what Kenny is doing, but he is a fascist.

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