What does 2006 hold for the Northern Ireland political process?
BBC Northern Ireland political correspondent Gareth Gordon looks back as well as forward to explore an alphabet of issues. Bertie Ahern expressed surprise at the ‘Stormontgate’ affair A is for Ahern: The Irish prime minister believed Sinn Fein leaders had prior knowledge about the Northern Bank robbery, even as they negotiated a deal to restore devolution. Bertie Ahern shook his head like an exasperated parent and said he didn’t fully understand why the so-called “Stormontgate spying” case had collapsed, but that it was “interesting!” Yet he stands on the launch pad for yet another big push. But the really big fight he faces is the 2007 elections to the Dail or Irish parliament. The question is in a tight finish – will he need Sinn Fein votes to help him? Assembly member Paul Berry took legal action B is for Berry: From gospel singing blue-eyed boy to DUP outcast via a Sunday newspaper story concerning a “male masseur” (which he denies), no political fall was quite as spectacular – or
