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Child's Play for Sinn Fein

• Mark Devenport
• 28 Feb 07, 04:54 PM

Putting a power sharing government together might not be child's play, but that did not stop Sinn Fein picking Belfast's W5 activity centre for today's manifesto launch. The boardroom provides a magnificent view across the Lagan, but it's not the most spacious of venues, so us hacks were fairly well crammed in alongside the Sinn Fein candidates.

Gerry Adams, not for the first time, did not want to get too drawn in to the practicality of his party's coalition with Ian Paisley. He said he wasn't there to answer for the DUP but they should accept the outcome of the election they had demanded.

As already pointed out in this blog he wants a 拢10 billion peace dividend. Sinn Fein also want "tax varying powers". Does anyone think they intend to vary them in a downwards direction?

The Sinn Fein President acknowledged that some resented his policy switch on policing but argued that they were in the minority. He hoped most republicans would recognise how much they had in common with his party.

And then we all tripped, rather incongruously, down the musical stairs at W5 on our way to a photo shoot outside. After March 7th will we find ourselves following a yellow brick road?

A couple of print colleagues told me that Ian Paisley said earlier in the day in Bangor that March 26th was Peter Hain's dream, which had turned into a nightmare and which wasn't going to happen... It sounded pretty definitive until they ran through all the clarifications he added afterwards, which didn't rule out the deal provided he gets his delivery.

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No voice on the Lords

• Mark Devenport
• 28 Feb 07, 03:46 PM

Sinn Fein might not care too much but the DUP is getting exercised about a double booking in its diary. The East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson has criticised the House of Commons authorities over its timetabling of a vote on the reform of the House of Lords. The vote is scheduled for the 7th of March. Mr Wilson says this will deny the Northern Ireland MPs the chance to take part in that vote. He says it has been the practice of the House of Commons not to take important business when there are local elections in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin has urged Mr Wilson to take the matter up with the business managers of the House of Commons

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The Anti Manifesto

• Mark Devenport
• 28 Feb 07, 11:05 AM

Just back from the launch of what the UK Unionist leader Bob McCartney proudly called his "anti-manifesto". He says it would be absurd for him to outline a series of priorities for government when everyone knows he is not going to be in it. Instead his 3 page document denounces the D'Hondt system as an affront to democracy, describes Sinn Fein as not a fit partner for governnment and blames all four of the big parties for water charges and rates.

Mr McCartney is standing in 6 seats, with his colleagues standing in another 7. The logistical problems of standing for election in so many different places are not to be sniffed at - the UK Unionist leader said that yesterday he travelled from North Down to Enniskillen to Lisbellaw to Fivemiletown to Moygashel back to Donaghadee and Millisle before finishing the day's campaigning in Tobermore.

After the NIO declared that Mr McCartney could not hand any extra seats on to substitutes, he has vowed not to resign if he wins outside North Down. He believes he should get more than one vote if he wins more than one seat although he acknowledges that Peter Hain might impose standing orders which rule that out. If that happens he says the Secretary of State will be in court "quicker than Jack Robinson".

So in the event of the multliple candidate wining mutiple seats what would happen to those multiple salaries? Bob McCartney says this has been raised with him on the doorsteps. His answer - he will provide us in the media with a monthly tot of the charities to which he will give an amount equivalent to any extra salaries received. He hopes we will look forward to "Bob's monthly tot."

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