Northern Ireland Peace Deal.

The following press release was sent today to the London/Irish papers:


Following their first ever face-to-face discussions, the leaders of theDemocratic Unionist party and Sinn Féin announced a target date of May 8 forthe restoration of devolved government.

Chair of London Green Party, Irish-born Noel Lynch said: "This is indeed a momentous day for Ireland. The historical significance of this agreement cannot be underestimated"

As Gerry Adams stated "The agreement marks the beginning of a new era of politics on this island"


Noel Lynch continued: "The results of the recent Northern Ireland Assembly elections, including the election of the first Green Party Assembly member, showed the desire of the people of Northern Ireland for the implementation of the agreement and the restoration of devolution."

Northern Ireland

I spent an enjoyable Saturday evening in the bar with a number of Green Party activists. The occasion (if one is ever needed!) was the visit of Lindsay Whitcroft, Co-Secretary of The Green Islands Network and leading member of the Green Party in Northern Ireland. As well as enjoying the company I took the opportunity to talk a little business and enquire how the campaign for the Northern Ireland Assembly elections is going.

You may remember that last month I predicted one or two gains for the Northern Ireland Greens. Admittedly not all commentators seem to agree (though I think it is something of an oversight not to even mention the possibility!).
However Lindsay confirmed to me that the Green Party does indeed have a good chance in North Down and South Down. They seem to be approaching the election very professionally and with a refreshing message for the people of Northern Ireland. Support from other Green parties seems to be playing an important role as well. I could say more but I wont just now in case I inadvertently give away any tactics. There will be plenty of time for analysing how the election was approached once we know the result (and hopefully it will be an historic one for the Green party).