Speaking in Tamnamore, Dungannon on Monday evening, 8th March, DUP Euro Candidate, Jim Allister QC dealt with the impact upon Northern Ireland of the impending enlargement of the EU.

Mr Allister said, “On 1st May 10 new countries join the EU and each with extremely high expectations.  Most, like Poland, are from the former Eastern Block and are greatly impoverished. In consequence the resulting drain on Community resources will be immense. The axis of grant aid will move dramatically to the east, depriving Northern Ireland of priority status and grants previously enjoyed. 

At the same time our nation will be called upon to foot an even greater proportion of the EU budget.  The practical effect will be to put your pound in Poland’s pocket.  Poland’s needs in terms of infrastructure and agriculture are particularly great.

While I do not wish to deny prosperity to any state, too many new countries are being admitted at a stroke in this enlargement.  There ought to have been a staggering of entry commensurate with the capacity of Community resources to cope.

The task, therefore, of an MEP from Northern Ireland will be more difficult and demanding than hitherto. It will take tenacity, resourcefulness and full-time effort to extract a worthwhile deal for Northern Ireland.”

On European issues generally Mr Allister described himself as unashamedly Euro-sceptic.  He declared that while he believed in a Europe of co-operating nation states, he was implacably opposed to the creation of a Euro Super-State.  Hence, his opposition to the single currency, a common foreign and defence policy and the siphoning off of national power to Brussels.  Thus the proposed Constitution, with its assault on national veto powers and capacity to perfect Treaty change by majority vote, was singled out by Mr Allister, as radically diminishing national sovereignty.

On the local political situation Mr Allister said the poll on June 10th would provide for a timely verdict on developments since the Assembly Election. “The DUP has no fears in that regard. It alone, invigorated by the influx of additional talent, has shown initiative and imagination in pushing towards durable and democratic devolution.  While Trimble and his party, still smarting from defeat, flounder about and implode with on-going internal dissension, the DUP has set about leading Unionism with vigour and determination. Its roadmap for devolution shows fresh thinking and a stark contrast to the failed Belfast Agreement which the Trimble/Adams/Durkin axis tried to foist on Ulster.  I look forward to the Unionist people further endorsing the DUP’s leadership and strategy in the Euro election”, said Mr Allister.

The DUP candidate then trained his guns on Sinn Fein.  He said:-

“This election, I fear, will deliver the ultimate ironic blow to the SDLP, with Sein Fein conquering Hume’s seat.  Over 10 years ago John Hume set about the sanitisation and house-training of IRA/Sein Fein. He deliberately set about politicising terror.  Now, 10 years on the Sein Fein monster which he facilitated stands ready to devour what remains of the foolish and hapless SDLP.

In the meantime, the insatiable Sinn Fein monster has been nurtured by the rich diet of endless concessions fed to it by Trimble and Blair.  Every time the IRA needed another appeasing morsel, David and Tony donned their chef’s hats and did the business. This is how IRA/Sinn Fein has prospered, so that today it has its boot on the neck of much of the west of this Province.  Such is the nauseating arrogance of Sinn Fein that they can outwardly condemn the bombing of Omagh in August 1998, yet aid its bombers by refusing to urge co-operation with the police investigation.

The message from the DUP to Sinn Fein is very clear.  You may have wiped the eye of push-over Trimblism, time without number, but there’s a new breed of Unionist in control now and we will give no quarter to terrorists or their apologists.

If Sinn Fein wants to eat of the fruits of democracy then they must irreversibly divest themselves of terror and all its means, including its illegal secret army. Democracy and terror cannot co-exist.  They are sworn enemies.  If one prevails the other falls.  There is no middle ground.

As I said recently, if they want to ply politics then let them give up the night job. It’s time to stop doing the double.  They can’t have the benefit of the cake of peace while at the same time gorging on the raw meat of terror.

Personally, I doubt if they will ever change, for they are so mired in violence that it is ingrained in their nature, and to date it has served them well, providing muscle not available to democratic parties.

The greatest single aid to compelling Sinn Fein to face the realities of life in the new political dispensation is for both the Government and the SDLP to demonstrate a willingness to move ahead without them.  Revocation of the Sinn Fein veto is the passport to real political progress.”

Returning to the prospect of Sinn Fein taking Hume’s seat in Europe, Jim Allister said, “The naked ambition of IRA/Sinn Fein does not end there.  They not only desire to liquidate the SDLP but in the process to top the poll in this election.  That must not happen.  As the leaders of Unionism we alone can stop such a propaganda coup for the forces of terror.  The way to do it is to vote DUP No 1.”