[FuckingRotter]

You obviously don't understand how local government works in the United Kingdom.

First of all, the six counties of what is now known as Northern Ireland is in the United Kingdom. Accept that, move on.

Before devolution took place in Scotland, Wales, and Good Friday in Ulster, which is essentially a devolved region, local government worked in generally the same way as it does now in England.

Between various levels of local government, they are responsible for social care, education, roads, social housing, policing, libraries, recreation facilities, and probably other things too dull to think about.

Local authorities are controlled by councils, or assemblies, made up of democratically elected representatives, usually known as councillors. Much like national and devolved government, these are organised along party lines, and a council that has a majority of X Party councillors is a X Party controlled council.

To give an example, the GLA is currently a Labour Party controlled assembly, led by Sadiq Khan.

These councils are responsible for setting budgets for the above services, based upon how much money they can raise. Councils usually receive some government money, and raise more money them selves through local taxes known as rates. These are charged to businesses and households alike. Councils cannot tax income.

They have a certain amount of autonomy over how much they charge and how they spend, but government can cap rate rises. Traditionally Northern Ireland, Scotland, and to an extent Wales, have been net benefactors of government spending, they receive more per capita, than England does, from the national treasury.

So as you can see, local government are very much at the whim of Westminster.

Northern Ireland is, or at least they would be if Mary and Arlene got their act together, in a very privileged position, in that they get to send MPs to Westminster to decide policy in England alone, as well have certain devolved powers over which the rest of Westminster has no leverage.

What I want from you though, is an explanation as to who exactly was supposed to decided local government policy in Northern Ireland, if not duly elected officials?

By the way, the sort of laws Unionists would have been passing prior to Good Friday would have been very insignificant stuff, like how much to fine some one for letting their dog shit in the street, or what to charge to have a planning application read.