Warring tribes: Prime ministers abandon efforts to end impasse

POWER sharing was hanging by a thread last night as Brian Cowen and his British counterpart abandoned their effort to end the Northern crisis over policing and parades.

The two leaders’ push to force through a compromise deal during their marathon three-day direct intervention at Hillsborough Castle fell apart as Sinn Féin and the DUP pulled the plug on the proposed blueprint.

Gordon Brown and the Taoiseach refused to admit defeat, but their 48-hour deadline for the parties to agree a compromise looked likely to fail as Sinn Féin and the DUP immediately began blaming each other for the impasse.

Tensions between the two sides spilled-over in the final round table session of the talks as Sinn Féin’s Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, expressed anger at the lack of a deal.

Mr McGuinness said: “I believe we have displayed extraordinary patience and commitment over the past 18 months as we sought to persuade the Democratic Unionist Party to be partners in progress.

“The decision by the DUP, at the behest of the Orange Order, to make the abolition of the Parades Commission (current body that rules onparades) a pre-condition for the transfer of powers on policing and justice flies in the face of all that.”

DUP leader Peter Robinson insisted he would not be “bullied” by republicans and wanted significant moves on reforming the way parades are handled before his party would move on devolving police and justice powers to Belfast.