[jet]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

Well Sinn Féinn don't even take their Westminster seats so no deals would or could be done with them.
There shouldn't be either.
Equally the DUP should not be in any national UK govt deal either.

They were sounded out by Gordon Brown as to how strong any opposition to Labour they had in 2010.
Their 8 MPs then hardly any relevance to either major party at that time.

This moaning at Sinn Féinn is pointless, they were and are a vital element to the peace process in N Ireland and if they were not part of it,the peace process could not likely even exist

Yes, it was so good of them to agree to give the IRA the heads up to stop killing people when they finally realised it was getting them nowhere and their arms were becoming seriously depleted. They were bribed with amnesty from prosecution and freeing all their murderers from prison, alongside many other benefits. Imagine Labour having to bribe people to stop murdering - yet it was worth it to save many more lives.
ALL the parties were a vital element in the peace process. It could never have worked without everyone agreeing. John Hume, the SDLP leader, got the Nobel Peace Prize, as did David Trimble, the Unionist Party leader for their work. Did any Sinn Fein members? Of course not, and we all know why. Martin McGuiness did an excellent peace time job but it should never be forgotten that as an IRA Chief he ordered the murder of many people.