A potent intervention?
Last month I expressed a degree of scepticism about the argument that an agreement on devolving justice would help to meet the dissident threat. Today the Independent Monitoring Commission has reported on
The IMC has backed the argument that an early agreement would help combat the dissidents by claiming it "could provide a potent intervention. This would not be because the dissidents would be impressed by it. It would be because policing and justice
would no longer be a point of contention across the political divide; rather, it would
be a platform for co-operation against those trying to undermine the peace
process."
So will that cooperation prove more effective if we have, say, an Alliance Minister rather than a direct rule one? David Ford has described today's IMC report as a "wake up call" to the Stormont politicians that further delays cannot be afforded, whilst Shaun Woodward hopes it "should be hugely influential in informing an early decision".
After listening to the Nolan programme's reports on so called punishment attacks earlier today, it's clear that whoever is in charge of the police and the courts in the future will have a real job to do to eliminate the trend towards vigilante justice. Most listeners will have been shocked by the searing account of the brutality with which these attacks are carried out. But there was also evidence from amongst the callers of the reservoir of support for such actions which will only dry up when communities feel full confidence in the ability of the police to respond to crime in their midst. And I couldn't help wondering what other activities those involved in such attacks on young people in their own areas will go on to become embroiled in now they have been "blooded" by their shadowy organisations.
I'm 
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