Irish politics

The British and Irish governments have given the Northern Ireland politicians a deadline of November 28th this year to form a government of national unity or else they will draw a line under the Good Friday agreement. Hard to believe that the parties will do so. The Good Friday agreement was negotiated by the moderate Ulster Unionists and SDLP parties. Despite being endorsed by a majority of the Norther Irish electorate, that same electorate has turfed out the moderates and voted for the hardline Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein, who won't even sit down in the same room as each other, let alone form a government together. The DUP say the republicans' claim to have give up the war is bogus. They point to the huge bank robbery last year, the murder of Robert McCartney and now the execution of the English spy, Dennis Donaldson as evidence that the republican movement is one huge criminal conspiracy

It doesn't bode well for a united government in Iraq.