The Justice Aftermath
So, with the exception of the Real IRA contribution, April 12th went pretty much to script. David Ford started the day as the hot favourite, and ended it with a ministerial office in Castle Buildings.
The Ulster Unionists had dallied with the notion of supporting the SDLP. But with plenty of canvassing around unionist areas to be done they eventually decided that backing a nationalist without an obvious quid pro quo was a step too far. Hence the nomination of Danny Kennedy who had as much chance of becoming Justice Minister as he has of becoming MP for Newry and Armagh (a "Conservative marginal" as one local wag described it). The SDLP's Alban Maginness met a similar fate.
Mr Ford is now pledged to push ahead on tackling issues like prison reform, sentencing policy and the cost of legal aid. He says that dealing with anti-social behaviour, building safer communities and tackling re-offending "needs a broader, joined-up approach".
The question will be whether the Stormont Executive can deliver the "joined-up approach" which has so far eluded it. The omens from the competing nominations for the Justice brief aren't good.
Time is also tight. The cross community appointment of the minister is temporary, with a "sunset clause" which could see the new Department of Justice being dissolved in 2012 if a permanent solution cannot be found. Prior to that the May 2011 Assembly elections could lead to a wholesale review of the Stormont rules.
So the new minister doesn't have long to start to address some of the deep seated problems in his in-box.
That said, given the long hours of negotiations which preceded today, it would be churlish not to recognise Mr Ford's election as a breakthrough for the Stormont system. Whether it will make any difference to the long term business of marginalising the dissident republicans who sought to steal the headlines is quite another matter.
P.S. Yesterday one Stormont source led me to believe the draft parades bill may come as early as today - instead Martin McGuinness promised during his question time that it would be published "this week". Also during the questions, Gregory Campbell pounced on the Deputy First Minister for criticising Cardinal Brady over his handling of the allegations against Fr Brendan Smyth in the 1970s, whilst not being equally clear about his own activities during the same decade. The Deputy Speaker Francie Molloy swiftly moved matters on so we didn't get the benefit of Mr McGuinness's response.
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