Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAY BACKS BRADLEY
PM still confident despite lack of knowledge before taking brief
THERESA May has backed the Secretary of State despite her admission she initially did not understand Northern Ireland politics when she took on the brief.
Karen Bradley revealed at first she PM did not realise nationalists did not vote for unionist parties or vice-versa.
The Tory MP, who was appointed earlier this year, also said she did not fathom some of the deep-rooted issues that define Northern Irish politics.
A No10 spokeswoman said: “The Northern Ireland Secretary is working incredibly hard to restore devolved government.”
Asked if the PM remained confident that Ms Bradley was able to do the job, the spokeswoman replied: “Yes, she is working very closely with the parties there.”
Asked how voters in Northern Ireland could have confidence in Ms Bradley, the spokeswoman replied: “I would point to all of the work that she is doing to restore devolved government.”
Ms Bradley was appointed in January after her predecessor James Brokenshire stepped aside for medical reasons. She told The House magazine: “I didn’t understand things like when elections are fought for example in Northern Ireland – people who are nationalists don’t vote for unionist parties and viceversa.
“So, the parties fight for election within their own community.
“Actually, the unionist parties fight the elections against BILL Clinton has urged politicians to “take a breath” and keep working towards restoring the Assembly.
The former US president also said the ongoing negotiations around Brexit were hampering the restoration of Stormont. Mr Clinton was in Dublin to mark the each other in unionist communities and nationalists in nationalist communities.”
Meanwhile, the High Court was told yesterday that Northern Ireland is close to a dystopian state of governance.
Counsel for survivors of historical institutional abuse also claimed the Secretary of State is attempting to “stymie” their challenge to an ongoing failure to provide compensation. With 50th anniversary of Concern, in Dublin, when he said the Good Friday Agreement was a model for “inclusive tribalism”.
He added: “There are still cranes up in Belfast and nobody wants to go back to the bad old days, so I think everybody should take a deep breath, and keep working.” no Executive in place to implement the redress scheme recommended by a major inquiry, Barry Macdonald QC claimed Ms Bradley is breaching a legal obligation to call fresh elections.
In an announcement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs Bradley ruled out a new Assembly poll and said she is to bring forward legislation enabling civil servants to make decisions in the absence of devolution.
However, Mr Macdonald said: “It’s as clear as a pikestaff, in legislation that is a duty, not a discretion. The Secretary of State has been breaking the law for 20 months but she is now going to ask
Parliament to change the law so she doesn’t have to set a date.”