Executive hold public in contempt - Allister

12 January 2011

Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-

“On 15^th December 2010 the Stormont Executive, in a blaze of publicity, heaped self congratulations on itself for agreeing a 4 year budget, and in furtherance of an illusion of public involvement trumpeted an eight week consultation.

“In truth, they had not agreed a budget - as it is recognised in the world of governance - at all, because it contained no spending details, just aspirational targets of the most meaningless variety, with the details promised within a week from each department. Little wonder seasoned economic experts described it as ‘vacuous’. It was a mere pseudo budget, which in any event will be rewritten after the Assembly election.

“Weeks have now passed, the ‘consultation period’ is half gone and more than half the departments have published nothing on their expenditure plans, and those that have cobbled together something have produced only the most rudimentary of detail.

“The consultation is thus rendered a farce, just as the budget itself was a con. But, such is par for the course with what passes for government at Stormont.

“The lesson of this spectacle is that in reality the Executive holds the public in contempt. They pretend genuine consultation, but have no intention of affording it, else they would not be sitting on the details essential to make any consultation meaningful.

“As for OFMDFM, the Joint First Ministers paraded themselves to proclaim breakthrough on 15^th December, but far from leading by example, through expeditious publication of their department’s spending plans, they have produced nothing!

“Little wonder that with every day which passes this Stormont is losing what credibility it ever had.”

NI politics