THE decision by the nationalist dominated Derry City Council to strip the unionist mayor, Mr Richard Dallas, of his trappings of office does not spell the end of power sharing on the council, according to the SDLP.
Mr Dallas has lost his entitlements, including his mayoral car, his offices in the Guildhall and Derry City Council and his secretary, because of his involvement in an Orange inspired blockade of Craigavon bridge during the Drumcree stand off.
On the vote of the SDLP and Sinn Fein, with the seven unionists voting against, the councillors also decided to prevent Mr Dallas, an Ulster Unionist Party councillor, from attending civic functions in his capacity as mayor.
The implications of the passing of the resolution for Mr Dallas's salary of £21,000 is also being assessed by the council, according to a statement yesterday.
Derry people angered at the sanctions have offered Mr Dallas an office, a ear and a secretary, according to Mr John Adams, a UUP member of the council.
Despite the censure, Mr Dallas (27), said yesterday he had had apologies to make for his participation in the Orange protest and had no intention of resigning. He was taking legal advice and might legally challenge the council decision.
He said yesterday he did not participate in the protest in his capacity as mayor. The sanctions only reinforced the feeling of unionists in Derry that they were under threat.
Mr John Taylor, the UUP deputy leader, accused nationalists of petty dictatorship. "I hope the pan nationalist front in Londonderry takes space to reflect and does not proceed with a dictatorship that would inevitably lead to th9 creation of two separate district councils in the city of Londonderry."
The sanctions, voted through on Wednesday by 16 votes to seven, are being "imposed for an unspecified length of time until the council concludes that amends for this breach have been made".
Ms Annie Courtney, a former SDLP mayor of Derry, said yesterday that for Mr Dallas to at least acknowledge that his actions during the blockade were not "in the interests of all of the community" might speed the day when the sanctions would end.
"Nobody expects him to go down on his knees but he should make some recognition that what he did was not representative of all of the community. It is now up to him."
She said the SDLP, which has the majority on the council, would still operate the system whereby every second year it allowed a unionist representative to become mayor.
But Mr Adams, Mr Dallas's UUP colleague on the council, said it was now questionable whether unionists would be prepared to accept the position because of the "poisonous" way nationalists had treated Mr Dallas. "It seems the republican brotherhood of councillors from the west bank want to impose their will on the community and, thus, destroy the city."
