Paisley let off the hook by Ahern line on SF

THE Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has greatly undermined the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement by his repeated assertions that Fianna Fáil will not go into government with Sinn Féin.

The Good Friday Agreement, which was approved by a large majority of voters North and South, stipulates that the largest unionist party and the largest nationalist party provide the first minister and deputy first minister while all the major parties are proportionally represented on the Executive.

After the IRA decommissioned its weapons and announced it was ending all activities, it seemed that all the excuses the DUP had made for refusing to share power with Sinn Féin had been removed. Now Mr Ahern, ably assisted by Michael McDowell and Enda Kenny, has given Mr Paisley another pretext for refusing to implement the will of the people.