Same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland failed, 49-47. Again, Sinn Féin, SDLP and five Alliance members voted in favour, while the DUP and all but four of the UUP members (who were granted a conscience vote) voted against. On 2 November 2015, the Northern Ireland Assembly voted for a fifth time on the question of legalising same-sex marriage. Of the 105 legislators who voted, 53 were in favour and 51 against, the first time a majority of the Assembly had ever voted in favour of same-sex marriage. However the DUP again tabled a petition of concern signed by 32 members, preventing the motion from having any
Assessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland Party of Northern Ireland. The PSNI and the government of the Republic of Ireland also welcomed the process. However, Traditional Unionist Voice criticised the assessment as having "all the appearance of politically motivated and timed window-dressing". A representative of Sinn Féin, Conor Murphy, described the panel as unnecessary, saying, "Nothing and no one can be allowed a veto over the democratic process. Sinn Féin is in government on the basis of our electoral mandate." Vincent Kearney, the BBC's Northern Ireland Home Affairs Correspondent, questioned whether the assessment can or will say anything different to prior PSNI statements, or what the