Late Nights, Rows and Mr Jelly
My colleagues on Today at the Assembly had their work cut out last night as the Stormont proceedings ran on until nearly 10 pm shortly before they were due on air. Gareth Gordon hung on until the end. I ducked out early as I was due on Good Morning Ulster at 7 am.
At one point we had the Obama inauguration on one screen in the press room and the Assembly chamber on the other. It was slightly bizarre as the cheers and jeers of the MLAs and "order, order" from the Speaker mingled with the rhetoric from Capitol Hill.
During the lengthy debate on the Financial Assistance Bill there were a number of clashes between the SDLP and the DUP. if you examine the you can see that at 12.30 pm. the First Minister crossed swords with Declan O'Loan over whether the SDLP MLA had accused him of being deceitful. When he didn't like the response from the Deputy Speaker after taking advice from the Clerk, the First Minister went on "maybe you will tell your Clerk to listen more carefully before he gives you such advice, because the person who is bringing forward this measure is myself, and if a deceit is being perpetrated, it can only be by the person who is bringing it forward."
Later Mr Robinson clashed with the SDLP Leader Mark Durkan. Between 3.30 pm and 3.45 pm Mr Robinson told MLAs that Margaret Ritchie had led her Executive colleagues to believe that she already had the power to make fuel poverty payments without requiring legislation. After 4 pm Mark Durkan challenged this brandishing an Executive paper which he claims proved Mr Robinson's statement was inaccurate. He accused the First Minister of misleading the Assembly, a use of language which can get an MLA thrown out if they can't justify its use. SDLP sources produced ministerial rules saying all ministers must give the Assembly accurate information, or if not they should resign.
Much later, between 7.30 pm and 8 pm the Speaker Willie Hay ruled on the matter. Without naming the First Minister he reminded MLAs that it was not in order to refer to the Assembly officials. He then said he would be calling on Mark Durkan to withdraw his remarks at the earliest opportunity. The SDLP objected to the Speaker naming Mr Durkan but not Mr Robinson.
If Mark Durkan refuses to withdraw, then he is likely to be suspended from the Assembly on Monday. However it's possible he could alter his words sufficiently to avoid walking the Stormont plank. But as the SDLP question the facts underlying the ruling and what they see as the asymmetric nature of the Speaker's judgement they say they won't let the matter rest.
The details of this parliamentary spat are arcane. In general terms, however, it's another illustration of the dysfunctional nature of the Stormont coalition in which the smaller parties are increasingly an opposition within.
So where does the jelly come in? Well in the final stage of the Public Authorities (Reform) Bill, by which time Willie Hay's head was probably well and truly turned, the Speaker introduced a hitherto unheard of minister, namely Mr Jelly.
With laughter all around, Gerry Kelly thanked the Speaker for giving him a new name.
I'm 
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