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On Friday 13th October 2006, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announced that a way forward had been agreed with the leaders of the Democratic Unionist Party, the Revd Ian Paisley, and the leader of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams. The St Andrews' Agreement provides for a timetabled series of steps leading towards the eventual restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Here at www.standrewsagreement.org you will be able to study the proposals and follow the parties as they continue to wrestle with the difficult steps they must take before local and democratic government is restored to the Northern Ireland province. Timetable for action The historic Good Friday agreement led to the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly - a major breakthrough in providing local government for the people of Northern Ireland who had previously been ruled directly from the Northern Ireland Office in Whitehall. The problem of direct rule from London is that the major British political parties traditionally do not contest seats in Northern Ireland. So the governing party of Britain will never contain somebody elected by the people of Northern Ireland. As a result, the politician chosen to lead the Northern Ireland Office will be an English, Welsh or Scottish MP from whichever political party is in power in the United Kingdom Parliament. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland suspended the Northern Ireland Assembly from midnight on 14th October 2002 after serious disagreement and allegations between the parties; and despite elections held on the 26 November 2003, the two leading parties have so far failed to agree the basis for a return to devolved government. Under the Good Friday Agreement the members of the Assembly nominate and elect a First Minister and Deputy First Minister - these will be drawn from the leading Unionist and Republican parties. This power-sharing arrangement is designed to ensure that no community within Northern Ireland is dominated by the other community. After the St Andrew's Talks in October 2006 the two governments published a timetable for action leading to the possible restoration of the Assembly and devolved government in March 2007. The timetable says:
Further Reading:
Northern Ireland Assembly 2003 Election Results
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LINKS The Government
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Related Governmental Institutions
Political
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The
Northern Ireland Office