Party politics not patients’ needs shaping Health Budget debate - Allister
14 January 2011
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister:-
“I carry no torch for the Ulster Unionist Party or Michael McGimpsey, but it is self evident that the two lead partners in Stormont, DUP and Sinn Fein, are playing politics over the Health budget. It is no coincidence that DUP spokesman, Jim Wells, and Sinn Fein fixer, O’Dowd, both have the Health minister as their target today. Mr Wells’ position is particularly bizarre. One would have thought as Chairman of the Health Committee his primary concern would be to maximise the funding for Health, but, instead, his preference is to vilify the minister and thwart his efforts to get a better budget. I fear he is putting his own party’s interests in bashing the UUP before the interests of getting a better deal for patients and the NHS.
“The Belfast Telegraph editorial sums the situation up perfectly, “Two parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, dominate and there is little evidence of coherent, collective government…..All the evidence points to the major parties deciding that a minister from a minor party will have to suffer an undue cut to his budget purely on political grounds. That reveals the true dysfunctional nature of the power-sharing administration …”
“If on health, of all issues, such party point scoring is the most important consideration for the DUP/Sinn Fein partnership, then it reflects very badly on both of them.”
