Allister speaks of 'sham fights' at Stormont
01 October 2007
Speaking to an Orange gathering in Moneyrea Orange Hall, County Down on Friday 28 September 2007, Jim Allister MEP welcomed recent backbench attacks in the Assembly on the scandalous 12 August rifle-carrying march in Belfast and the attack on Minister Ruane for favouring Irish Language schools. However, Mr Allister said welcome as these stances were, they amounted to mere sham fighting and firing of blanks because maintaining the equilibrium of the DUP/Sinn Fein government was the paramount concern, which meant really effective action would not be permitted.
Mr Allister continued:-
“Of course it is right that these matters are pursued, but sadly only controlled hostilities are permitted. Nothing which could destabilise will be countenanced by the leadership. Hence, the failure to challenge the Irish Language education decision by use of the much-acclaimed accountability mechanism. Why did the DUP not call in this decision, as they assured us they would if and when Sinn Fein ministers acted contrary to unionist interests? Preferential funding away from state education to unnecessary Irish education is a classic decision which should have been stopped. It is well and good to condemn it, but when the mechanism to reverse it is said to exist and is not used, then, it puts the condemnation in a more meaningless category.
Likewise, with the 12 August march. It patently breaches support for the rule of law to parade the streets of Belfast glorifying terrorism with rifles. Yet, again, a default mechanism was supposed to exist to deal with such Sinn Fein failures, but, of course, nothing has been done.
Why, because, the preservation of the regime is more important to those that matter than the keeping of pledges. While, particularly if there is an election announced, we will see much more sham fighting with Sinn Fein, thinking voters will see it for what it is and recognise that the chuckle photos tell the real tale.”
