Number Ten Out of Touch?
Yesterday Shaun Woodward declined to take Ian Paisley Junior's "virility test" of proving the government's committment to devolving justice by confirming that he has raised the supposed £660 million shortfall in the policing budget with his cabinet colleagues.
Instead the Secretary of State cited Gordon Brown's support for the process here, as illustrated by his short visit after the dissident murders, as proof enough that Number Ten wishes to see the political process succeed. Mr Woodward vowed that Whitehall would not bequeath local politicians an underfunded police service and argued that completing devolution is the best answer to the dissidents' violent campaign.
But is everyone in Number Ten across the details of the policing and justice issue? Not if a letter to the formner teacher David Bell is anything to go by. This blog reported on Mr Bell's campaign to clear his name back in February. Mr Bell had his request for a royal pardon turned down by the Justice Minister Paul Goggins, so wrote to the Prime Minister.
A week ago Number Ten wrote back telling him "a careful note has been made of your comments. However, as you may be aware, the subject of letter falls within the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive which is a devolved administration. You may wish to write to them directly."
Obviously that note was not careful enough, as Mr Bell's request is, whatever view you take of it, a matter of criminal justice, which is a responsibility not yet transferred to our local politicians.
The teacher wrote back "I am indeed aware that the Northern Ireland Executive is a devolved administration, with the notable exception of the Justice Ministry which advised negatively regarding my request for the exercise of the Royal Prerogative. It is because the present incumbent of that office, Mr Goggins, is not democratically accountable to anyone in Northern Ireland that I have been obliged to take my case directly to the UK Prime Minister. In light of these anomalies in your reply I can only conclude that my comments did not receive the careful consideration claimed and would respectfully request that they now be afforded this."
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