The
famous horror film, House on Haunted Hill,
could well become a living nightmare for Unionism
if the Dublin government's plans for its new complex
at Notting Hill become operational.
Indeed,
the state of Northern Ireland plc looks almost certain
to become Northern Ireland RIP by Christmas if DUP
boss Ian Paisley does not form the power-sharing
Executive with Sinn Fein by 24 November.
Senior
Unionist sources at Stormont are adamant a deal
was hatched between Bertie Ahern's Dublin government
and the IRA leadership FOUR years ago to set up
a Leinster House-style administration in the North
in return for complete Provo decommissioning.
Unionist
fears a Leinster House Mark Two is being established
in the North have been fuelled by the Dublin Government's
plans to set up a plush centre for its Northern
operations at luxurious premises at Notting Hill,
off south Belfast's top-of-the-range Malone Road
area.
House
of Haunted Hill was the name of William Castle's
1958 classic horror tale about the unspeakable things
which happened at the fictitious Vannacutt Psychiatric
Institute for the Criminally Insane. It was successfully
remade in full gory colour in 1999.
The
main plot of the film was that very few people survived
the operations which occurred in the house. Maybe
there are some ominous omens for Unionism in the
Dublin government's House on Notting Hill?
Mysteriously,
Stormont sources maintain that planning permission
for the Leinster House-style complex was applied
for in May 2002 during the then UUP leader David
Trimble's 'political watch' – five months before
the power-sharing Northern Executive was suspended
amid republican spy ring allegations at Stormont
involving the now murdered top Sinn Fein official
Denis Donaldson.
The
Unionist sources claim planning permission was eventually
granted in May 2003 – again five months prior
to the Provos' third major act of decommissioning
in October 2003.
A
month later in the November 2003 Assembly elections,
Paisley's DUP and Sinn Fein overtook the UUP and
SDLP as the respective leading political parties
in the Unionist and Nationalist communities.
The
Stormont source maintained: “The Notting Hill
complex is the price for IRA decommissioning. Northern
Ireland has already been bought and sold. Instead
of being called Northern Ireland plc (public limited
company), it should now be called NI RIP (Rest In
Peace).
“The
Notting Hill set-up is being built to house Bertie's
Viceroys if Paisley fails to meet the November 24
deadline. The complex contains six en suite bedrooms
along with a sun room and library. It makes the
old Maryfield Secretariat look like an Irish bogland
cottage.”
Maryfield
was established near Stormont in the mid 1980s under
the terms of the November 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement
signed by the then British and Irish premiers Tory
Maggie Thatcher and Fine Gael's Garret FitzGerald.
The
'85 Dublin accord, signed at Hillsborough, Co Down,
gave the Republic its first major political influence
in the running of the North since partition in the
1920s. Unionists responded with massive street protests
across the North, but they were unable to overturn
the accord.
Ironically,
Unionists failed to take account of the loophole
in the Agreement which Unionists could use to give
them a say in the running of Southern affairs –
an influence Northern Protestants have not enjoyed
since King William established the Protestant Ascendancy
in Ireland in the late 1690s.
The
Unionist source also said the present system of
Direct Rule from Westminster would be replaced by
Joint Authority of the North by London and Dublin
if Paisley and Sinn Fein failed to established the
Executive.
“It
will not be called joint authority, but will be
given the politically friendly term of joint stewardship.
But the only way Notting Hill can be prevented is
if Paisley forms the Executive with the Shinners.
The Dublin government could then sell the complex.”
News
of the Notting Hill timetable has emerged along
with speculation Belfast City Council would be moved
to Stormont's Parliament Buildings while major renovation
work is completed at Belfast City Hall.
Commenting
on this speculation, the Unionist source added:
“If there is no Executive in November and the
Assembly folds, Stormont would be an ideal location
for the planned greater Belfast super council. This
is when the Government scraps the present 26 local
authorities and replaces them with seven super councils.
“With
three of them already going to be in nationalist
control, it will be touch and go for Unionists to
ensure greater Belfast remains in Unionist hands.”
The
Countdown to Joint Authority – how it is unfolding:
August
1994 – first Provo ceasefire
February
1996 – Provos break ceasefire with massive
London Docklands bombing
July
1996 – Provos restore 1994 ceasefire
April
1998 – Good Friday Agreement signed
July
1998 – Northern Ireland Assembly formed
May
2000 – Date for total IRA decommissioning reached
without any movement
October
2001 – Provos announce beginning of decommissioning
May
2002 – Dublin seeks planning approval for Notting
Hill
October
2002 – Northern Executive suspended
February
2003 – Dublin granted planning approval for
Notting Hill
June
2003 – IRA has completed two acts of decommissioning
October
2003 – IRA makes third act of decommissioning
November
2003 – DUP and SF win Assembly elections
December
2004 – DUP and SF come close to restoring power-sharing
Executive, but deal collapses over photographic
evidence of IRA decommissioning
June
2005 – DUP wins General Election in the North
with nine seats to UUP's one
September
2005 – IRA orders units to 'dump arms'; final
act of Provo decommissioning
May
2006 – Assembly recalled to begin talks in
bid to re-establish Executive.
August
2006 – 100 days to go to final deadline and
still no moves to establish Executive
September
2006 – Assembly meets after summer recess in
bid to restore Executive
24
November 2006 – Northern Secretary Peter Hain's
deadline on Executive
If Paisley and SF form Executive, the legislative
parliament will be in business on 27 November.
If no Executive, all 108 MLAs' salaries and allowances
chopped on 24 November.
December
2006; British Irish Intergovernmental Conference
at Prime Ministerial level to launch new British
Irish partnership arrangements on Joint Authority.
