N Ireland Politicians Have Returned To Stormont After A Haitus Of Three Years.

[sandyRoe]

During that time they were on a slightly reduced salary. As it's a Saturday today will they be able to claim overtime?

[New Judge]

//So presumably you’d be happy for GB’s government and Parliament not to sit either?//

No I wouldn't. But I don't hold with devolved government of any kind, least of all one which bestows quasi-national status on what are essentially simply provinces of the UK. Before you ask, I do not support local government either. There is simply no need for it. All it does is to generate division and rancour. How many times do you hear of a local government blaming their woes on national government?

Local services can simply be administered by an executive acting under powers from central government. Since 80% of local government income is provided by central government it would make far more sense. An excellent example can be seen in London. Mrs Thatcher went to great lengths to abolish the totally superfluous Greater London Council and its bedmate the Inner London Education Authority. The GLC was put out of the electorate's misery in 1986 and the ILEA in 1990. Their functions were subsumed into the London Boroughs and central government, though it would have been better if they had all been resolved to the centre. London functioned perfectly well until 2000 when the Labour administration re-introduced the GLC by subterfuge under the guise of an "elected mayor". Now it has a layer of superfluous "government" again which simply absorbs huge sums of London taxpayers' dosh.

The UK needs fewer layers of government and the devolved assemblies (or whatever they call themselves) should be first for the chop.

[THECORBYLOON]

NJ, your figure for central government funding is far too high. In 2018-19 "Central government grants are expected to account for 49.4%"

Page 11 of this link, https://bit.ly/2FERce3

[ToraToraTora]

quite right judge all this devolution cobras just adds another layer of snout in trough bureaucrats. Blair's folly should be swept away, as TGL said the state apparatus should be as small as possible.

[New Judge]

Thanks for the link, Corby. The 49% does not include the 17% "retained income from Business Rates" which previously went to the centre only to be returned (with all the accompanying administrative costs involved in receiving money only to pay it back shortly afterwards to the people it was received from who had collected it in the first place). A bit like VAT - thousands of scribes employed to oversee the process of paying taxes for goods purchased, collecting similar taxes on goods sold then claiming back what you've paid out with everybody else in the supply chain doing likewise.

However, I'll not quibble. My central point remains regardless of the level of finance involved.

[ynnafymmi]

Meanwhile Lyra McKee like Jo Cox before her lie in cold dark graves.The fascist murderer who murdered Jo is in a prison cell,the fascist murderer of Lyra seems to be treated as a hero.

[New Judge]

//The fascist murderer who murdered Jo is in a prison cell,the fascist murderer of Lyra seems to be treated as a hero.//

Don't fret. In twenty years or so he or she will be part of the "power sharing" administration.

[ichkeria]

Not sure what Jo Cox’s cold blooded mutter has to do with anyone of us, except to remind us that politicians can be the victims of deadly attacks, as they were in NI for many years.
It may be three years too late but today Stormont (stormy Stormont today) reopens and that is far preferable to whet we had before.
The people of NI are entitled to have local politicians running their affairs and making decisions.
Thank you all the same

[New Judge]

//The people of NI are entitled to have local politicians running their affairs and making decisions.//

What, more than the people of England are?