Downing Street Says » Northern Ireland

» Monday, March 19, 2007

Northern Ireland

Asked if the Prime Minister would be seeing Ian Paisley this week to talk about power sharing, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that it was likely that there would be a meeting. What was important was that the message from the election was very clear; people wanted to see devolution and they wanted to see it by next Monday. What we now had to see was whether politicians would listen to that voice.

Put that there was some speculation today about emergency bills next week, the PMOS replied that he would not go down that road. The basis on which the election was held was very clearly set out at the time when the two Prime Minister announced the election. All the evidence we had suggested that the public well understood that basis, and overwhelmingly, wanted their politicians to restore devolution next Monday. It was in legislation that the 26th March was the deadline, and therefore, people had to make their minds up by then.

Put that there was no prospect of the legislation being changed after 26th, the PMOS said that the legislation was there, and it was clearly there before the election, and it was the basis on which the election was held. People had understood that, and the electorate showed very clearly what they wanted their politicians to do.

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