TUV addresses economic realities
02 February 2011
Article in today's News Letter by TUV spokesman David Vance:
With Northern Ireland’s economy mired deep in recession, readers will have studied the recent exchange between Sammy Wilson and David McNarry with dismay. Rather than focus on how we can help bring new jobs and protect existing jobs, the DUP and UUP economic gurus offer childish swipes at each other but like tweedledee and tweedledum they are more characterised by what they have done than what they say.
Neither has explained why they have presided over unemployment here increasing by more than 100%. More than an extra 30,000 people now face the dole queue than was the case when Wilson and McNarry entered the current Assembly. Nor have they explained why they have not been able to produce an agreed strategy to boost employment! The recession started in 2007, why on earth have they not been able to come together on an agreed plan by 2011? Maybe it is plain embarrassment that stops them accepting responsibility for the fact that Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK which still sees the ranks of the unemployment rising? Dare they risk telling you that we have more than 38% of those of working age not active in our economy?
This Assembly has failed to anticipate and then tackle our economic challenges. But it needn’t be this way and that’s why TUV advocates a dynamic economic agenda that places getting Northern Ireland back to work as a priority. We have the workers here but we just don’t have the jobs they need.
There are a few simple steps we can take that can quickly turn things around for those seeking employment. Let’s energise our local small and medium businesses. DETI should be directing much more resource to maximising links on an East/West basis rather than promoting the failed North/South agenda to the bankrupt Republic. Let’s look to reallocate functions away from the bloated bureaucracy and into local business. In this way we can both save jobs and also save cost. Isn’t that the sort of new thinking we need? Let’s look to cut away all the “Made in Stormont” red tape that prohibits entrepreneurs.
With economists forecasting another 25,000 people losing their livelihood in the next few years, TUV believes that this is a serious matter and one that merits politicians putting the jobs of the Northern Ireland workforce ahead of their own petty prejudices.
