Unemployment has more than doubled on Stormont’s watch
16 February 2011
With unemployment up again in Northern Ireland, while reducing elsewhere, TUV economics spokesman and Upper Bann candidate David Vance has challenged DETI Minister Arlene Foster to explain why she has uniquely failed to staunch the loss of jobs in Northern Ireland. “Unemployment has jumped from 26,000 in 2007 to almost 60,000! The latest unemployment figures are testimony to the failure of DUP/Sinn Fein government. Empty words from the Minister will be consolation to those without a job. It's time there was fundamental change and TUV stands ready with fresh ideas on how to get Northern Ireland working again"
“Decades of IRA violence has ensured that our private wealth-creating sector has been disadvantaged and remains smaller than any other UK region, Until we address this structural imbalance in a meaningful way, we will continue to lag in the slipstream of the rest of the UK.
“Under the current failed Stormont, a North/South agenda for economic growth has been prioritised. The crash and burn of the Irish Republic means that we are seeking to grow our economy by linking it to the bankrupt South. This is madness.
“We need the dynamic development of East-West links, plugging Northern Ireland into the more vibrant British economy which is still the world’s sixth largest! A coherent strategy of helping local business gain bigger shares of economic activity in England, Scotland and Wales is essential. Beyond that boundary, we must assist Northern Ireland business gain market share in the emerging new economies around the world. DETI objectives and focus will need to change to achieve this.
“TUV believes that it is vital that the Stormont government must have clear economic priorities and that it meets them.
“Why should the only jobs that matter be those of the politicians at Stormont?”
