Voluntary coalition might make politics in Northern Ireland more vibrant, and less dysfunctional

Because they suffer no reprisals it might be described as the perfect caper.

Thanks to mandatory coalition Stormont might also be the perfect caper for the DUP and Sinn Fein — no matter what pandemic guidelines are broken, no matter what obscene tweets are sent, no matter how much cash is turned to ash they know they will always get voted in again.

Jim Allister QC gives a comprehensive and damming list of the consequences of Stormont dysfunctionality

(‘Republicans long ago concluded that having bought into eternal power sharing unionists have nowhere else to go,’ September 12).

In the past Jim Allister has spoken of a form of voluntary coalition which might improve politics here.

I would be very interested to know the details of how this might work and, more importantly, how such a system could be sold to the electorate such that votes would move away from the DUP and Sinn Fein to other parties who would be willing to reform Stormont.

Any reform would have the advantage of making politics here more vibrant and satisfying for voters as well as head off border poll arguments comparing a dysfunctional Stormont with a normal government in Dublin.

The DUP and Sinn Fein will not give up their advantageous route to power no matter how dysfunctional mandatory coalition becomes.

Whilst this dysfunction suits Sinn Fein’s ‘failed state’ narrative, perversely for the DUP it is detrimental to pro Union arguments.

Change to end the Stormont caper can only come from voters but they need to be led.

Thomas Stewart, Belfast BT4

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