Another shameful DUP climb-down and concession to IRA/Sinn Fein
07 July 2010
TUV Leader Jim Allister has alleged that as part of a deal with Sinn Fein the DUP Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, has agreed to pay Sinn Fein’s unofficial ministerial drivers out of the public purse.
In a statement Mr Allister said:-
“When devolution was established in 2007 Sinn Fein Ministers refused the official drivers and insisted on being driven by their own henchmen and party supporters. In response then DFP Minister, Peter Robinson, quite properly refused to allow them to be paid from public funds. Now, this is set to change and the activists who drive IRA/Sinn Fein Ministers are to be paid by the hard-pressed taxpayer. Indeed, such is the audacity of Sinn Fein that they are seeking back-payment for 3 years.
“Official drivers are available from the Civil Service pool. There should, therefore, be no question of hand-picked organisational hacks, chosen for ulterior reasons and one of whom is believed to be a Minister’s partner, being paid by the taxpayer and Sinn Fein allowed to operate outside the regulated system on its own terms. The question is why is the DUP making this shameful climb-down and allowing Sinn Fein to abuse the system?
“It is part of the ongoing concessions constantly proffered to keep Sinn Fein happy. In this case, I believe, it was agreed – though it will be denied - some months ago as part of the price to get Sinn Fein to back the campaign on behalf of PMS savers. This is how the shambles that passes for government at Stormont works. Unwarranted concessions to IRA/Sinn Fein do not just occur on the big occasions but are part of the daily diet of government. Many are kept secret, though in the coming weeks I will expose some others of which I have become aware. The scrutiny committees, which ought to be probing these issues, are complicitly inactive, for example, why have Unionists on the DFP Committee not been probing the proposed shameful funding of IRA/Sinn Fein activists under the guise of drivers?
Yet, at the same time DUP MPs are rightly calling for Westminster to stop paying expenses to Sinn Fein, while their Finance Minister is preparing to fund their hand-picked drivers. Such hypocrisy!”
