Does the latest IMC report pave a way for devolution?

independent of both Governments. The UK and Irish prime ministers have both restated the 24 November deadline is the last chance for politicians to restore Northern Ireland devolution. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern said failure to meet that deadline would put the assembly in cold storage. Mr Blair said: "This is the last chance for this generation to make this process work." They have published a work plan for the politicians in the run-up to that date and are due to return to NI in October. The premiers met delegations from the DUP, Sinn Fein, SDLP, Ulster Unionists and Alliance at Stormont on Thursday. "We are convinced that November is the outer limit of an acceptable timeframe," Mr Blair and Mr Ahern said in a joint statement. "Failure to meet that deadline would be a failure which will put the assembly in cold storage from 24 November. Restoration of Political Institutions and Policing are some of the last issues of the political jig-saw which require to be addressed by those Parties which have so far been unwilling to do so. Two Parties – namely DUP and Sinn Fein - are holding the political process and the people of the North of Ireland to ransom through, on the one hand, failure to honour the principles of the Good Friday Agreement and sign up to the restoration of institutions, and on the other hand to sign up to Policing and the Patten report fully. So far, Sinn Fein has failed to countenance new policing arrangements. Gerry Adams states that the people of the North of Ireland need proper policing – what does he mean by this? Gerry Kelly stated yesterday that the people need to be protected – what did he mean by this statement? Did they both mean the Community Restorative Justice programmes perpetrated by members of IRA; or are he and his colleagues willing to embrace new policing arrangements already in place; or is he still waiting for the government to deliver on the devolution of Justice and Policing before he and his colleagues make that jump? Or are they waiting to wring more concessions from the governments on the policing and justice issues? Perhaps the most fundamental question of all – are Sinn Fein serious about devolution, or are they simply using the policing tool as another stick or brake to prevent the restoration of political institutions taking place in order to secure their own political advantage? Or, would joining up to new policing arrangements dismantle the summary justice programmes that have been operating on the ground in republican and loyalist areas for years. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern travelled to Northern Ireland to unveil their blueprint for restoring devolution. They confirmed the assembly will be recalled on 15 May with parties being given six weeks to elect an executive. If that fails, the 108 members get a further 12 weeks to try to form a multi-party devolved government. If that attempt fails, salaries will stop. The British and Irish governments would then work on partnership arrangements to implement the Good Friday Agreement.