Republicans holding government to ransom - Allister
16 September 2008
Commenting on today’s debate in the Assembly Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister said:
“We are repeatedly told by pro-Belfast Agreement parties that devolved government is immeasurably better than direct rule. They claim time and time again that Westminster neglected our Province and things are much better now locally elected accountable politicians are in power. Today’s debate in the Assembly was a telling reminder that this is not the case.
“No one from the Office of the joint First Ministers could even be bothered to turn up for the debate. Yet it is in that Office that the problem lies. Because the DUP have conceded a veto to Martin McGuinness on every issue in our Province, the Executive hasn’t been able to meet since the 18th June. While farmers suffer as a result of flooding and we all feel the effects of the global economic downturn our government is held to ransom by Republicans. It is time that Unionists acknowledged that power sharing with unreconstructed terrorists is not just morally wrong it is also politically wrong and unworkable”.
