Democratic Unionist Party European election candidate, Jim Allister QC, has today said that nationalists should not squander the opportunity offered by the DUP’s “Devolution Now” and “North South East West” proposals.

Jim Allister said, “In both “Devolution Now” and “North South East West”, the Democratic Unionist Party has demonstrated not only new thinking and leadership for unionism, but also a new opportunity for the non-unionist community.  That opportunity should not be squandered.

Nationalists should be under no illusions.  Unionists are not going back to the absurdity of terrorist apologists at the heart of government while their terror machine remains primed and ready for action.  Make no mistake, if the devolution of the Belfast Agreement were to prove the only form of devolution available to Northern Ireland then the DUP will be rejecting it.

Nationalists must face up to the need for radical change.  We have been imaginative in “Devolution Now” and “North South East West” in order to find a tenable basis for an accommodation.  It would be a grave miscalculation for nationalism to think more is attainable.  More could very quickly turn to less!  We are a firmly devolutionist party but not at any price.

Having issued our positive proposals, the ball is now firmly in the court of others.  It’s time for nationalism to make a matching and considered response”.