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Northern Ireland election

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Goco calling

  • Mark Devenport
  • 16 Mar 07, 03:29 PM

What does the fact that the parties want the first water bills scrapped say about their readiness to meet the March 26th deadline? The new government owned water company goes operational on April 2nd. The first bills are due out soon afterwards.

Will Gordon Brown put his hand in his pocket and give the parties the 拢70 to 拢80 million needed to scrap the first year's charges if the DUP tells him they are still undecided about devolution and won't make their minds up until the summer? When he meets them on Thursday March 22nd the Chancellor will undoubtedly want an assurance that the executive will be up and running by the turn of the month. Only then might he tell the GoCo what to do with its bills.

On an entirely different topic I see the Greens have declined their invitation to President Bush's White House St Patrick's jamboree because they want to reduce their carbon footprint. In the future governments will count their carbon just like they count their cash. So says no less a person than the Chancellor. By that standard I wonder what a carbon audit of the peace process would look like?

Comments   Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 07:17 PM on 16 Mar 2007,
  • Pandora wrote:

13.03.07 - Dr Paisley announces the abolition of water charges is achieveable.

14.03.07 - Peter Robinson announces the Treasury is not used to negotation - really! I suppose the Treasury might put it another way. The DUP delegation is not used to negotiating with the Treasury. I suspect the Treasury officials slipped a piece of paper across the table with figures on it, with a footnote "take it or leave it gentlemen".

15.03.07 - Did I hear a DUP MLA hint that direct rule proposals for water charges are to be deferred for twelve months? (probably).

How many water policies does the DUP have floating around? I have almost forgotten the DUP's manifesto. Am I now expected to set this aside as having no relevance, as this Party now has the votes to do as it pleases?

Gordon Brown seems to have VERY short arms & VERY deep pockets, I doubt very much he would scrap the charge.

  • 3.
  • At 07:11 PM on 24 Mar 2007,
  • Dan wrote:

Gordon is not going to scrap the charges. If the NI politicians choose to set up the executive they can scrap the charges but it will mean painful cuts somewhere else.

NI
can have dramatically lower corporation Tax easily, vote to join the Republic.

can scrap water charges and Rates easily, set up the executive.

can stay in the Union with no develoution and be treated no better or worse than taxpayers in England so shut up and stop whinging.

  • 4.
  • At 11:03 AM on 26 Mar 2007,
  • Padraig Caughey wrote:

This reminds me of what Abraham Lincoln said, 'I freely confess that I did not shape the course of events, but that rather the course of events shaped me'.

Pope Paisley and Gerry A are on a bob sleigh taking them both who knows where, who knows when?

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