Power Sharing Agreement announced in Northern Ireland
 

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Sitting side by side for the first time in history, the leaders of Northern Ireland's major Protestant and Catholic parties announced a stunning deal Monday to forge a power-sharing administration May 8.

The breakthrough followed unprecedented face-to-face negotiations between the Protestants of Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and the Catholics of Gerry Adams' Sinn Fein.

The two foes, who previously negotiated only via third parties, sat beside each other at a table in the main dining room in Stormont Parliamentary Building in Belfast but reportedly did not shake hands.

"After a long and difficult time in our province, I believe that enormous opportunities lie ahead for our province," said Paisley, 80, whose party previously boycotted contact with Sinn Fein because of its links to the outlawed
Irish Republican Army.

"We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future for our children," Paisley added.

Adams, 58, a reputed veteran IRA commander, said Monday's talks and accord "marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island."

He said Protestants and Catholics had been in conflict in northeast Ireland for centuries. "Now there's a new start, with the help of God," he said.

Both Adams and Paisley said they and their deputies would begin immediate negotiations on forging a joint platform for government.


Reuters news item, here's the link

Devolution in Northern Ireland
 

Well, the DUP and Sinn Fein have agreed to it, thank gods. 8th May we will be ruling ourselves and not having Westminster calling the shots. This is excellent for several reasons:

1 - We won't have to pay water charges (at least not right away). This was something the English government introduced that has had fierce opposition by the entire population of NI since we already pay water charges in our housing rates, so we'd effectively be paying for it twice.

2 - The increase in housing rates that were proposed seem to have dropped off the radar. This increase would have meant many non-income pensioners would have been forced to sell their houses because rates would have been too high.

3 - Most importantly IMO, the proposed changes to the education system will most likely not go through. These changes would have ruined a system that gets MUCH better results than those on the mainland. I remember reading somewhere that it's very high in the rankings of Europe. Hell, when we have "not so bright" pupils over here we enter them on English education boards to do their GCSE, AS and A-level exams because they will get a higher mark because the exams are so much easier than compared to the ones over here (and yet we still get better results on those ones :D ). Changes will happen to education system, but they are ones that everyone here agrees should happen. It's looking hopeful that our Grammar system will be left intact.

These are three of the bigger issues, but of course there are plenty more of equal or greater importance I've left out. All of them were introduced by Westminster and I reckon it was to force our politicians (in whom I have very little faith) to actually get off their asses and get their act together or these unpopular changes would come through.

All in all, assuming that this whole thing lasts and it doesn't get torn apart by the same old bigotted arguments it looks like a good day for Northern Ireland :nod: Certainly a big step in the right direction.

Amen to that. I hope it all works out for you. :)

why was the thread title name changed? I used the Reuters headline??