Allister answer's Alex Kane's article
14 November 2009
I begin this response to Alex Kane’s contribution of 9th November by frankly apologising to him for advising him on 8th March 2007 not to “judge the DUP by the standards of the UUP!” I was wrong to have put any faith in the DUP standing by its solemn election pledges, for indeed, with even less honesty, the DUP foolishly followed the example of Alex's own party in bringing IRA/Sinn Fein into government.
Mr Kane’s article is both a contradiction and a counsel of despair. On one hand he agrees and identifies the reasons for the dysfunctional nature of the executive, the inability to vote a party out of government, the bar on an Opposition and lack of accountability as inherent flaws in the present Belfast Agreement arrangements, but is resigned to seeing nothing done about them. Therein we disagree.
I and TUV do not accept that we must continue to be the only part of the democratic world where by law you can neither vote a party out of government nor have an Opposition. This perversion of the basic tenets of democracy is so monstrous that no self-respecting democrat should lie down under it. TUV would not.
It is by a sufficient number of MLAs refusing to operate mandatory coalition that it will be starved of its legitimacy and all those who claim opposition to mandatory coalition will be tested. Then, we will see the durability of mandatory coalition. I believe it will flounder and the inevitable outcome will be fresh negotiations within which a sizeable section of Unionism will not be rolling over. Once mandatory coalition is made inoperative then alternatives will kick in, because the present Stormont parties’ reliance on sustaining an Assembly is such that even those who presently declare otherwise will then accept the logic of voluntary coalition.
Voluntary coalition does not ban Sinn Fein from government. Rather, it puts it on exactly the same footing as every other party that the only route into government is through the persuasion of sufficient other parties to agree a programme with them. TUV will never enter government with Sinn Fein, but if they can persuade others then we will be in Opposition, because we are democrats. If Sinn Fein are only democrats so long as they are in government, then they are not democrats at all. And we are being blackmailed as well as conned.
Someone of the intellect of Alex Kane should not diminish himself into lying down under the gross travesty that is mandatory coalition. Rather, he should be using his talents to help rid us of this blight. Indeed unionists of the calibre, skills and intellectual capacity of Alex are exactly the sort of people who can help realise the vision of a truly democratic system of government.
When the present unworkable edifice inevitably collapses it need not mean a reversion to Direct Rule, not that Direct Rule under a likely Conservative Government should worry the likes of Alex who is an enthusiastic supporter of the UUP Conservative alliance. Negotiations will follow, mandatory coalition under a Sinn Fein First Minister will be out of the question and thus the ultimate choice will be acceptable and democratic devolution or no Stormont. In these circumstances voluntary coalition will emerge as a viable alternative, more attainable now because of the demonstrable failure of the mandatory variety. All that stands in its way is the vested interest of the present Stormont parties and the resignation of some, Alex included, that special pleading or provision is required for Sinn Fein. It is this which the infusion of sufficient TUV MLAs will challenge and end.
