ROBINSON RESPONDS TO ADAMS
NATIONALISTS NO LONGER BELIEVE IN INEVITABILITY OF A UNITED IRELAND
What is clear is that the 2016 pipe-dream being pushed by some has now been abandoned. The fact that nationalists no longer believe that it will be realised is a testament to the hard work of the Democratic Unionist Party. The DUP seeks a stable, secure Northern Ireland delivering for all of our community inside the United Kingdom and that is what we are achieving. Stable devolution provides us with an opportunity to persuade people who in the past have been nationalist in their outlook to the advantages of the Union.
DUP RESPONDS TO IMC DECISION
Responding to the decision of the government to call for a report from the Independent Monitoring Commission Jeffrey Donaldson said:
The Unionist electorate want to see the complete and total disappearance of all paramilitary groups, both Loyalist and Republican. These groups have no place in Northern Ireland – they are a noose around the neck of the working-class communities in which they operate and their departure will be welcomed by all right-thinking people.”
JUST WHO IS LEADING THE ULSTER UNIONISTS?
“I am pretty certain that if MY party is linked with the Conservatives that we will see someone from here appointed to a Government post”
David Trimble went on to say that the Ulster Unionists had merely weeks to make up their minds on whether or not to formally link-up with the Conservatives:
“The TORIES aren’t ruling out a June election so they’ll be ready in January to begin candidate selection meetings across Britain and they’ll want to do the same here in Northern Ireland whether or not there’s a link-up agreed.”
Speaking today Peter Weir said:
“David Trimble’s comments at the weekend belie Ulster Unionist denials of his influence behind the scenes in this proposed UUP-Tory link up. Despite Reg Empey’s protests to the contrary, it is clear that the real driver behind this talk of merger is the rejected ex-UUP leader David Trimble. His comments at the weekend reveal a concerted campaign by the former UUP leader to bounce his former party in a direction that many members feel extremely uncomfortable with, namely fully-fledged merger with the Conservatives. David Trimble left the Ulster Unionists and jumped ship to the Conservatives after the voters of Upper Bann sent him packing. Now he is appearing inside newspapers referring to the UUP as his party and his new political home as “The Tories”, issuing threats about time running out for a link up with the Conservatives. Trimble is clearly trying to bounce his successor into serving up the Ulster Unionist Party on a plate. He also fools no-one with his protestations that he isn’t after a Tory cabinet place.
The pace with which this merger is being pushed, most visibly by David Trimble must be unsettling to many UUP members with Labour Party sympathies: people like Sylvia Hermon, Fred Cobain, Michael McGimpsey and Ken Robinson cannot be happy that their party’s independence in Parliament is being sacrificed at the behest of a man who led them to crushing electoral defeat.”
DUP POSITION UTTERLY UNCHANGED ON POLICING AND JUSTICE
Since 2006, the DUP outlined our view that this sensitive brief should be de-coupled from the D’Hondt process and that whoever is appointed must be capable of attracting cross-community support. That remains our position and what has been agreed effectively amounts to a DUP veto on whoever the Policing and Justice Minister will be. Just as we have used a veto in the past where necessary, we will do so again.”
WHAT ABOUT LABOUR-LEANING UNIONISTS INSIDE THE ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY?
“The Tory Party is going nowhere fast and is rapidly becoming an irrelevance in British politics. I believe the Tory Party has done little or nothing for Northern Ireland apart from selling us out at Sunningdale and foisting the Anglo-Irish Agreement upon us”
DUP Free to Speak and Vote at all Times – Dodds
DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds MP MLA today said:
“The DUP is first and foremost a Party which seeks to defend and promote the Union. We believe that the interests of the Union are best served by being free to speak and vote at all times in accordance with that overriding objective.
The DUP has maintained good relations with the Conservative Party and often votes with them on issues in the House of Commons. At the same time it is essential to have the freedom to make judgements and take decisions on an issue by issue basis, at all times putting the interests of the Union and unionism first, not the preferences of another political party.
Both main Parties at Westminster have at times adopted policies or promoted measures which have been detrimental to the Union or against the interests of unionists in Northern Ireland. Currently both Parties have policies which many unionists in Northern Ireland would neither support nor endorse.
Being staunchly unionist whilst at the same time being free from having the fetter of an imposed whip, whether it is Tory or Labour means we are best placed to speak, negotiate and represent the people who have elected us.
The DUP has been in regular discussions with the Tory party leadership. We also talk regularly to the government. With the prospect of a hung Parliament stronger than ever, and as recent events show, having a strong bloc of DUP Parliamentarians acting cohesively will be very significant. Any Party in that situation will be in a very strong position to negotiate on behalf of Northern Ireland and the unionist cause.”
Foster Leads Fight to Keep Enniskillen Unionist
Dodds Urges European Leaders to Respect Outcome of Lisbon Vote in Irish Republic
Nigel Dodds MP, MLA said: