System of government an embarrassment, says Allister
09 January 2009
Speaking to the Politics Society at Sullivan Upper School, Holywood, TUV MEP Jim Allister said on occasions he was embarrassed in the European Parliament, when undemocratic practices were being discussed from elsewhere in the world, to have to admit that he represented the only region in the EU where, by law, the citizen was prohibited from voting a party out of government. This, he explained, was the product and effect of “mandatory coalition”.
Mr Allister said:-
“Colleagues in Europe are astounded that within a region of the EU there is a territory where the law provides that every Party, of any significant size, must be in government, if there is to be a government. Such is the preposterous and undemocratic import of mandatory coalition, compounded by its denial of any role for an Opposition.
The only argument in support of mandatory coalition is the contemptible assertion "oh, but you must have a system which guarantees inclusion of Sinn Fein, because if you don't we'll go back to the bad old days".
Who would take us there? Surely not those we are constantly told have given up violence for good, have decomissioned, are wholly committed to the democratic process? If that is wrong, then we are being blackmailed, as well as conned. If Sinn Fein are only democrats so long as they have power, then they are not democrats at all and the sooner we face up to that uncomfortable fact the better.
If Northern Ireland can't have devolution without Sinn Fein, which I do not accept, then why should Unionists want such rigged devolution, which puts at the heart of government those dedicated to Ulster's destruction?”
