Being Sinn Fein’s enemy is no slur - Allister
19 August 2009
“Being identified as the enemy by Joint First Minister McGuinness is no slur for TUV”, said Jim Allister, responding to the Sinn Fein leader’s Belfast Telegraph interview demanding fresh roll-over by the DUP on his policing and justice demands.
“I’ve no doubt he’ll get his demands because the DUP has long since determined that feeding the Sinn Fein tiger is a price they will pay to cling on to office. So I’m not surprised McGuinness is stepping up the pressure on Peter Robinson to deliver on his shabby deal of last November.
"Every Unionist should ask themselves why IRA/Sinn Fein is so insistent on getting Stormont control of policing and justice. The answer lies in the Sinn Fein manifesto of 2005: “Our strategy is for a new all-Ireland policing and justice system. That cannot be achieved without transfer of policing and justice powers away from London, into an Executive and Assembly and the all-Ireland institutions.” Hence their dogged pursuit of this strategic republican demand.
"That the Belfast Telegraph in its editorial compliantly adds its weight to fulfilment of this republican demand is equally no surprise, because it has always been a paper ready to peddle the NIO line. I suppose we can next expect a NIO/Belfast Telegraph poll telling us how overwhelmingly everyone is in demanding the devolution of policing and justice! The script is fairly predictable.
"The fact that under the Robinson/McGuinness deal no Unionist need apply for the post of Justice Minister, because they have agreed that a non-Unionist stooge will get the office, may suit the Belfast Telegraph, but I for one do not accept that Unionists should be excluded from the Justice Ministry. Let it also be remembered that this particular shabby deal only limps through to 2012, when again Sinn Fein will have the opportunity to extract new concessions, not least because one of the options provided in the legislation is that policing and justice functions could then pass to the Joint First Ministers! So much for ringfencing us from Sinn Fein control.
"The reasons why policing and justice should not be devolved to an Executive and Assembly in which IRA/Sinn Fein, those who still justify the murder of policemen and judges, are many, but in a way McGuinness makes the case himself when he boasts as a great achievement that the Executive finally, after months of deadlock, agreed measures on rates and renewable energy! An Executive which can’t even agree and deliver on bread and butter issues, and which Sinn Fein can hold to ransom at any time, as it has already done, is an Executive wholly unfit to handle the sensitive issues of justice. The product of this dysfunctional Executive in more than 2 years has been pathetic. No government could have shown itself more unfit to handle the vital powers of policing and justice!
"As for TUV, we have no apology to make for seeking to thwart the Sinn Fein agenda at every turn. This we will continue to do. Marty the Terrorist can continue his cosy entente with Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and the rest of them, but we will stand firm against his blandishments and threats.”
