Executive's record on economic stewardship is one of failure - Allister
07 September 2010
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister QC:-
“While the First Minister talks gravely about the dire challenges posed by economic cutbacks, and presents his Executive as fit for purpose in charting a way ahead, the reality of the past 3 years tells a different story:
§ dysfunctional discord not common purpose has hallmarked this executive;
§ they’ve presided over not one, but two damp squib investment conferences, with minimal inward investment;
§ they waste millions every year in departments on needless translation into Irish and in pandering to the political promotion of the language; DRD wasn’t able to fix the potholes last winter, but had money to squander on Irish classes!
§ they squander over £100 million a year on useless, non-productive cross-border bodies, because they are sacred cows within the Belfast Agreement structures; indeed this year while frontline services are cut they are spending more than ever on north/southery;
§ they have taken no steps to cut out the waste of their own bloated bureaucracy, with 108 MLAs, lavish expenses, 19 Special Advisers, 15 Ministers and 12 departments;
§ instead of pulling together they’d far rather take party political pot shots at the Health Minister or vice versa;
§ they spin everything with mesmerising dishonesty, for example, part of the sales pitch to attain policing and justice devolution was that it was coming with a huge dowry. Now, we find it was all froth and the Policing Board and Chief Constable are talking about cuts in frontline policing in a police service already under its establishment level.
“Far from showing itself fit for purpose the Stormont Executive has been a huge disappointment and failure. Unable to govern effectively in the good times, I fear, it will excel itself in the bad times and make things worse not better.”
