Speaking to a meeting of the Mid Antrim branch of the DUP in Ballymena this evening, DUP MEP Jim Allister QC said, “Sinn Fein/IRA know what they have to do in terms of destroying their weapons of war, but to make the transition from terror to democracy they must also irreversibly abandon criminality, including fundraising by heist.

Participation in organised crime has been a continuing component of both loyalist and republican activity, unaffected by the ceasefires. Robberies, commercial hijackings, money laundering, fuel smuggling and base gangsterism have all played their ugly part in funding the Sinn Fein/IRA machine.  This too must stop.  There can be no place in government for those allied either to terror or organised crime. Executive power must be a terror and crime free zone.

I, therefore, make it very clear tonight that essential as decommissioning is, it is not enough.  A total end to all republican-linked criminality is equally required. Provo Commerce Inc must be liquidated.

Hence the immoveable necessity for a testing period after the completion of decommissioning, to ensure Sinn Fein has indeed stepped up to the mark, before there can be any question of a transfer of executive powers. Words have been found wanting, only verifiable deeds will do.

Trimble time and time again fell for meaningless Provo words; we require actions.  Then, and only then, is movement possible. On this there can be no fudge”.

NI politics