UNIONISTS expressed satisfaction that it is highly unlikely that the Tanaiste, Mr Dick Spring, will be the main government representative at the Stormont talks when the new government is finally established. But they also expressed some concern that Fianna Fail is almost certain to lead the new government.
As politicians prepare to return to Stormont for the multiparty talks tomorrow, the Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, asked rhetorically if it "could be possible for the man expected to be the new Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, to be "worse" than Mr Spring.
"It might be," he said. He wasn't certain whether Mr Ahern would make any great difference to the peace process.
His deputy, Mr John Taylor, who had described Mr Spring as the most despised politician in Ireland, said the Southern electorate had endorsed this opinion.
He expressed misgivings that Mr Ahern could be dependent on votes of Sinn Fein's Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain and Mr Harry Blaney of Independent Fianna Fail, whom he described ash extreme republicans. It is clear there is now a pan nationalist front in the South and unionists will have to respond to that accordingly, he said.
Mr Taylor added that the hung government in the South, was a formula for instability which could be detrimental to the peace process.
It is not a formula for political progress on this and I think the best thing that could be done would be to have another election in six months, in order to elect a government with a clear majority," he said.
Mr Ian Paisley jnr felt that all the election would mean for the peace process was "different faces - but the same policy." Dick Spring was running around Ulster try ing to claim that a vote for Sinn Fein was a vote for peace when quite clearly it was a vote for murder.
"Bertie Ahern was trying to outstep him in making the same ill founded remark. I think what we cave now is a change in personality but not in policy," he added.
The SDLP chairman, Mr Jonathan Stephenson, called on the new government to move quickly to remove all roadblocks preventing real dialogue at the talks".
It would appear that the new government will be led by Bertie Ahern. I hope he will continue the excellent work which has been carried out by his predecessors in Labour and Fine Gael, and make Northern Ireland a priority of his administration," he added.
"We are now entering a period of approximately two years when there will be no major elections in the UK or Ireland.
"The SDLP believes this period should be used to make substantial progress on the issues which so far have divided us," Mr Stephenson said.
