Even the Executive's advisers rubbish their budget
24 February 2011
Statement by TUV Economic spokesman and Upper Bann Assembly candidate, David Vance:-
“The Economic Advisory Group is right to highlight that the Executive’s budget has no strategy to stem rising unemployment. Yet, there is funding available which could be put to this vital task, but which for political reasons the Executive would rather squander.
“I refer in particular to three misguided priorities, which in truth we can’t afford if we are ever going to prioritise the growth of our economy:
1. The £400m which in this budgetary period will be poured into the North/South bodies. Any audit of these bodies shows their economic output is almost nil, yet Stormont puts sustaining them above sustaining jobs.
2. The £80m set aside for dubious ‘community’ spend, as largesse which OFMDFM will distribute to favoured groups. Many of use identify this as a new stream of paramilitary funding which is utterly ill-advised.
3. The tens of millions ring fenced in the OFMDFM capital budget for the Provo Project at the Maze.
“Unless and until the Executive recalibrates its priorities away from its political sacred cows and into practical growth for our economy, then this Budget will fail to bring any economic betterment to the people of Northern Ireland.
"As the folly of the draft Budget is held up to further ridicule today, there is a fundamental issue in play here and it is this; The Budget, as proposed by DUP/Sinn Fein and backed by their stooges in Alliance, is inherently dysfunctional. It is not a coherent vision for the future but rather a cynical short term sticky plaster being applied to get its authors past the May election. The job losses will follow. The cuts will then bite. The blame game will then be played. TUV does not support this ludicrous Budget, the one Sammy Wilson boasted was "good for Northern Ireland families" for the simple reason that it will be very bad for them. Quite simply, Northern Ireland cannot afford this dysfunctioning Executive one day longer."
