- Written by Gareth Gordon
- BBC News NI Political Correspondent
House of Commons Speaker Edwin Poots accused of saying he wanted to ‘censure’ MPs
So far, there have been two scandals within the party, including claims that the new chairman is trying to “disparage” prominent members.
The storylines revealed by the return of power-sharing government in Northern Ireland include a banker-suspended politician taking control of a GAA team with the help of a helicopter.
A popular former minister and party leader who was involved in a car accident on air after his return (as many people on social media say).
And a phrase about cleaning watches has made an unexpected comeback, but it actually refers to punching someone in the face.
And all this until the Northern Ireland Assembly actually officially holds its first sitting.
Oh, what I’ve missed…
There’s no better place to start than with the heavyweight contest that began on the day history was made.
Eagle-eyed observers of Parliament first noticed that veteran Sinn Féin member Gerry Kelly had appointed his almost equally famous party colleague Caral Ní Chuilin as ‘Deputy Chief Constable’. I realized that.
TUV’s Jim Allister said Edwin Poots was “disappointed”
New parliamentary leader Edwin Poots, on the left, took to the stage and previously led the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for three weeks, recently calling for something ground-breaking to return the party to a power-sharing government. He said it was necessary.
No sooner had he been elected as the new parliamentary referee than former party member Jim Allister intervened.
“From Mr Seismic to Mr Speaker,” said Mr Alistair, leader of the Traditional Unity Movement (TUV) and self-styled conscience of the DUP.
Poots wasn’t going to accept that quietly.
A Google search reveals the phrase “often implies punching someone in the face.”
Mr. Alistair came forward and answered, “It is on record that the Fair Chairman, who has a duty to show neither favor nor detriment, wants to disparage me.”
Mr. Speaker, he added, “I have let myself down.”
The closest thing to such an event at Stormont was a “brawl in the hall”, with some pushing and shoving but no real “deck”.
This is truly the return of mature politics.
Back to the GAA manager who somehow made the 204.4 mile journey from Stormont to Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday evening to watch his County Laois team beat Wexford by 10 points. Sho.
image source, Getty Images
MP Justin McNulty has left proceedings in Stormont to head to Wexford.
To be fair to Justin McNulty, it was unlucky that the match was scheduled on the same day as the Northern Ireland Assembly’s return for the first time in two years.
But it did happen and taking the throw-in meant he had to sit out sooner than the SDLP had wanted, so they suspended him. .
He returned on Monday morning and walked alone, perhaps unnecessarily, up the steps of the Great Hall for a press conference with another GAA fan, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. A camera was on standby to record.
This goes to overtime.
On-air “Car Accident”
The same could be said of the rift within one party of the labor union.
No, not the DUP. The DUP’s return to devolution has so far been without any drama, apart from a few testing moments in the Commons.
Instead, our focus is on the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
The bill comes after Andy Allen, one of the nine MPs, questioned the wisdom of returning Robin Swann to the role of health minister on social media. Robin Swann is set to contest the Westminster seat in South Antrim, which he is sure to win. next general election.
Things looked much easier when only devolution was suspended, not Mr McNulty.
“You can’t make this up,” someone said in the saloon. But this is Stormont, so there’s no need for that.