i wonder if that time is before or after a bomb goes off.
Surely the DUP cannot back down on thier leader and Sinn fien cannot back down on her being corrupt?
IMO the worst thing that could occur is another election leaves sinn fein as majority party or largest party as in that case i cannot see anyone unionist doing anything but blocking.
I've wondered from time to time if the place was made independent and told to sink or swim in financial markets what would people elect.
Mweh..
They've been in and out since the beginning...triggered by both sides over that time. They will have summits and meetings and go back in...to do nothing once again. None of them will walk away from nice fat salaries for doing feck all.
On SF ...they can't walk away...or return to violent republicanism..at least this generation anyway.. they can't go back to their base with it, the Republic has given up claim...and there is no longer anyone to bankroll a campaign of a similar nature.
As to your references on financial status of NI.
It's overloaded public to private because of the lingering effects of direct rule. That has been reduced over the lifetime of the devolved govt and continues to be.
The private sector has actually come on quite rapidly considering how backward we were as a starting point....of course a lot of that was yank and EU investment...two things that look like disappearing.
Neither the Republic or Britain can afford an independent and therefore quickly failed state on their doorstep and it's not an option anyway under the good Friday agreement.
There has been a small but noticeable fluidity in the youngest voting generation who have been troubles free and won't just accept "at least there's no bombing" as an excuse for **** public services or no jobs etc..but I think it's still a long way off that the sectarian strongholds will be broken enough to effect real change.
At last election I do think the DUP genuinely feared that SF would finally become the biggest party..which is why the reverted to a quote blatant sectarian campaign...which ironically increased the SF vote.
Quite frankly it's false flag histrionics by the Unionists..even if SF became the biggest party, other than annoying symbolism sticking in DUP throats the structure of the assembly has been deliberately designed to neutralise both sides no matter who sits as first minister...
