The latest message from Planet Poots
22 September 2009
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:
“What planet does Edwin Poots live on? Arising from my expose of Sinn Fein henchmen being handed personal protection weapons, Edwin Poots rails not against that obscenity but accuses TUV of hypocrisy! Rational people will more readily identify hypocrisy with those of ‘never, never, never’ lineage now happily sitting in government with terrorists - perhaps even some of those who have been issued with these weapons!
“His thinking is as muddled as it is flawed. To say my expose of the disgraceful arming of Sinn Fein promotes Direct Rule makes no sense, not least because such decisions have been unhindered by the devolution era. The suggestion from Edwin Poots that TUV wishes to remove Unionist control from politics and return all power to Direct Rule is just plain false. We certainly want to remove the terrorists from government which the DUP put there, but no later than last week we issued yet another publication outlining the case for durable, democratic devolution, and how such can be attained. So, Edwin, try and apply such ability as you have to grasping, not twisting, basic realities.
“As for his claim that a return to Belfast devolution has saved Northern Ireland from a raft of concessions to Republicans I would remind him that the commitment to an Irish Language Act only arose out of the negotiations at St Andrews. Moreover, Edwin Poots must be the only person in the Province who would cite education as a shining example of the advantages of the current form of devolution!
“While Mr Poots claims that there is a unique Unionist veto which would be surrendered if his precious Belfast Agreement devolution fell the reality is that there is no such veto only a mutual veto, no stronger than that of Sinn Fein. Hence the serial deadlock in the Executive and dearth of delivery from Stormont.”
