Power-sharing tangle in Belfast

The power-sharing government in Northern Ireland is facing collapse over the transfer of control of policing and justice to the province away from the direct control of London. While the minority nationalist Sinn Fein and the majority Democratic Unionist Party have reached agreement on issues, policing and justice remains a stumbling block to the joint administration in Belfast.

Both sides in Northern Ireland have come a long way since sectarian and political violence over the future of Ulster left more than 3,000 dead in what was Europe's bloodiest terrorist campaign.

The fact that each side has managed to sit down around a table says a lot for the power of constitutional politics. It is also, however, a reminder that real progress is painfully slow.

Political activity in the province has been stymied recently by the sexual and financial shenanigans of the First Minister and his wife. A pending general election in United Kingdom is also polarising both sides.

The governments of London and Dublin must act quickly to rescue the Belfast administration. The issue of policing cannot be left alone to London  it is essential for all in both communities to have full faith and control over their own keepers of law and order.