The British and Irish governments will resume their efforts to restore devolution after the results of the European Parliament election in the North are known, conscious that there is a growing acceptance of direct rule in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, will hold talks on matters internal to Northern Ireland with the parties at Stormont tomorrow, while the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, will join the process on Wednesday to discuss North-South and East-West issues. Mr Murphy and Mr O'Donoghue, based on the response of the parties this week, will then judge whether they should advise the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to engage in a further round of negotiations with the parties before the end of June.
Mr Ahern and Mr Blair accept there is little or no chance of a breakthrough before the autumn, but nonetheless appear prepared to hold day-long talks in the next two weeks if this could help ensure a calm summer and sharpen the agenda for detailed negotiations in September or October. A survey, meanwhile, has caused some alarm in London and Dublin and among the parties who want the reactivation of devolution, now suspended for 20 months. The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, which is to be published shortly, shows that two-thirds of Protestants, and about 50 per cent of Catholics, are either opposed or indifferent to devolution.
The annual academic survey also shows that there is a growing acceptance of direct rule, with only three out of 10 Protestants and five out of 10 Catholics saying they would be sorry if devolution remained suspended. The governments are concerned that the longer suspension continues the greater will be the public's acceptance of direct rule and their antipathy to efforts to restore the Northern Assembly and Executive.
Dr Seán Farren, SDLP finance minister in the last executive suspended in October 2002, said the survey should be a reminder to local politicians that they "need to get their act together".
"This should be a sharp reminder that unless we get an early restoration of all the institutions of the Good Friday agreement that devolution could be put on the long finger, especially with Tony Blair's concerns turning to the next Westminster election."
