08 September 2008
“Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land frontier, yet on no major road into Northern Ireland is there anything to delineate when the visitor has entered Northern Ireland, nor a sign to welcome them. When you travel from England to Wales, or to Scotland, or vice versa, the border is marked and visitors welcomed.
“Even within Northern Ireland we can have signage delineating one district council area from another, but nothing delineating us from the Republic. When visitors arrive to our airports or ports there are “Welcome to Northern Ireland” signs, but nothing on any road from the Republic. Why? Clearly, politics is at play.
“I have been pursuing this matter for some time both with the DETI Minister and latterly with the First Minister, but with no satisfaction. The DETI Minister reveals that in October 2007 NITB wrote to each of the border councils asking them to erect “Welcome to Northern Ireland” signage but they have failed to do so. Since then, DETI has done nothing to insist on this basic provision.
“This is a fundamental issue of defining and preserving the boundaries of Northern Ireland in which I had hoped the First Minister might have been interested, but sadly not. I have now written to the UK Government demanding that it acts to define and preserve the boundaries of the UK by signage denoting the UK frontier.
“With IRA/SF in charge of the Roads Ministry and McGuinness having a veto on action by OFMDFM, it is clear to me that deference to the Republican agenda is causing lack of action to adequately or at all mark the boundaries of this part of the UK or to even offer a welcome to our visitors.”
ENDS
NI politics
