“Credit crunch” in real world, “crisis crunch” at Stormont - Allister
15 October 2008
Speaking at a lunchtime meeting to the TUV Association at Queen’s University, Jim Allister MEP said the shambles at Stormont was bringing politics into deeper disrepute with every day that passed.
Contrasting the heady promises at the dawn of DUP/Sinn Fein devolution in May 2007, with the reality and non-delivery of today, the arch critic of Belfast Agreement devolution poured scorn on “the Stormont spectacle”. He said:-
“Less than 18 months ago we were promised good, attentive, assiduous government, today we have a dysfunctional, fractious, peevish regime which daily looks increasingly irrelevant and divorced from local needs.
"Far from the industrious Executive we were promised, we have stalemate and indolence. Instead of “joined-up government” we have, at best, “government by correspondence”. Policy papers have piled upon papers, unable to be processed because of the deadlock.
"Direct Rule was bad, neglectful and remote, but it could never have held a torch to the ignominious debacle that is Belfast Agreement devolution. Is this the “Fair Deal” we were promised, then I shudder to think what a bad deal would look like. If this is “getting it right”, preserves us from further cons.
"The truth is Unionism was sold a pup by the DUP. We were promised the bad old days of republicans holding government to ransom were over – isn’t that what Ian Paisley said? In assuring us Sinn Fein was fit for government, we were even lavishly told they “had bought into the British state”. And, of course, we were promised that if they defaulted then a mechanism would exist to deal with them. Well, where is it? We’ve had default by the lorry load, but no default mechanism to “put manners on republicanism” as the DUP manifesto so colourfully assured us.
"The present crisis shows us that Sinn Fein has not changed one iota. It is still in the business of destabilising Ulster – once with the bullet, now with the veto. It is no more wedded to good government and prosperity for Northern Ireland than when its IRA was blasting the heart out of every town and city.
"The present crisis also shows us how foolish and wrong were those who brought Sinn Fein into government and now find they are helpless and unable to lift a finger to stop them running amok. Meantime ordinary citizens look for help on fuel, prices and economic survival and all Stormont can offer is a crisis crunch.
"This isn’t good government, this is the worst government Ulster has ever had.”
