After the executive’s failure to set a budget, and renewed culture-war confrontations, faith in the government’s ability to act in the common good is evaporating
Late last month, protesters deposited a sizable amount of foul-smelling green water on the steps of Stormont to draw attention to the appalling state of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. Years of agricultural pollution have created an environmental disaster in an area of huge ecological significance that once inspired the poetry of Seamus Heaney. Its plight should be a top priority for Northern Ireland’s devolved government. But the executive currently has other matters on its mind.
The sentencing of the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) Jeffrey Donaldson, after he was convicted of child sexual abuse, dominated Thursday’s headlines. Meanwhile, a cross-party political crisis continues to play out. Halfway through the financial year, Stormont has yet to set a budget. The current deadlock in negotiations with the Northern Ireland secretary, Sir Chris Bryant, could lead to one being imposed from Westminster. Cuts are already being made by default amid an atmosphere of stasis and policy drift.
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