MCGUINNESS RESIGNATION: Foyle MP Mark Durkan tells Foster to 'stop accusing others of playing chicken and stop acting like an ostrich'

SDLP Foyle MP and former deputy First Minister Mark Durkan has given his reaction to the decision by Martin McGuinness to resign from his position as deputy First Minister this afternoon.

Mr Durkan said: “Because Arlene Foster wants to avoid certain accountability for the RHI fiasco she has induced compound uncertainty in terms of our institutions, the Budget for the incoming year, outworkings of Brexit and the consultation on the Programme for Government that the First Ministers were boasting about only weeks ago.

“She can express as much confidence as she can muster about how an investigation in the limited form she wants would exonerate her for the budgetary debacle that RHI became, but she needs to show contrition, not just in relation to the underlying flaws in that scheme but also for her mishandling of the political accountability crisis which now exists.

“She needs to stop accusing others of playing chicken and stop acting like an ostrich.

“It is her own, and her party’s arrogance, which has created a situation where the deputy First Minister has had to take the very difficult decision to resign.

“While I clearly disagree with Sinn Fein’s previous call of lining up with the DUP against a public inquiry and I believe that the Sinn Fein Finance Minister should have taken a grip on driving remedial action on the adverse budgetary fallout from RHI, I have to acknowledge that Martin McGuinness was being left no choice by Arlene Foster and the DUP other than his announcement today.

 “He should not have been put in that position, not just because of personal circumstances on which we all offer our best wishes, but because of the democratic import of that decision in this context.

 “As many speculate on future wider negotiations picking up on this crisis and other outstanding issues, among other things I would urge that any negotiations about our institutions should include the restoration of the joint election by the Assembly of the First and deputy First Minister.

 “Privatising those as two separate appointments (by letter to the Speaker) from two specified parties has served to weaken the ethic of jointery in what should always be seen and worked as a shared and equal office.  That change by the St Andrew’s Agreement has also obviously removed any real sense of accountability by a First Minister to an Assembly that did not appoint her.

 “Even as a political opponent of Martin McGuinness, I resent that he had to resign on these terms.  Given my own insight into that joint First Ministerial role, I want to acknowledge much of the spirit of his tenure in a sensitive role – even if I might disagree with some Executive decisions.  Having served with Martin McGuinness in government, and dealt with him in many negotiations and various institutional formats (as well as constituency level), I can pay tribute to the calibre of his engagement and work ethic and recognise the collegial spirit he has been able to demonstrate.”