Allister pummels de Brun in Strasbourg
19 May 2008
Tonight, in a debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on EU PEACE funding in Northern Ireland, Traditional Unionist MEP, Jim Allister, did not spare the report’s author, Barbara de Brun. Describing the report as one “of verbiage, not substance”, he drew attention to the irony of an IRA/Sinn Fein MEP being a rapporteur on peace, considering the victims needlessly made such by the IRA. He continued to note her failure to even refer to the unacceptable disadvantage suffered by the Unionist community in the distribution of PEACE funding and paid tribute to the security forces, not the EU, as the deliverers of peace.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:-
“This is a report of verbiage, not substance, just as much PEACE Funding was wasted on froth.
The irony of an IRA/Sinn Fein MEP being rapporteur on a report on PEACE funding will not be lost on thousands in Northern Ireland whom her wicked organisation made victims, through its pernicious terrorist campaign. Its no surprise she can produce a report talking about a peace process without a single blushing reference, or scintilla of regret, as to how we came to need peace – because of her IRA’s decades of terror!
Nor, am I surprised she makes no mention of one of the gross failures of the PEACE Programme, namely the inequality in distribution between the two communities in Northern Ireland, with the Protestant/Unionist community not having had its fair share – not something, of course, likely to concern Ms de Brun.
Finally, let me place on record that the relative peace which we enjoy in Northern Ireland today, is primarily due, not to any EU PEACE Programme, but to the remarkable tenacity, courage and sacrifice of our marvellous security forces, who faced down the IRA terror which robbed us of peace for so long.”
