QUB Democratic Unionist Association

Queen’s University Democratic Unionist Association

Annual Fundraising Barbeque

DUP Leader and First Minister Peter Robinson MP this evening made the following speech at the launch of Belfast Orangefest at the Park Avenue Hotel. Mr Robinson said,

“Thank you for inviting me this evening. It is a great pleasure to share in this evening’s proceedings as we celebrate another year of the Orangefest Initiative. I am particularly impressed with the line up of events and am sure that we will continue to enjoy them all very much.

I place a high value on the role of the Orange Institution within Ulster society: this is reflective of the fact that the Orange Institution is a key stake-holder within our community. Orange Halls provide a network of community centres around our Province: halls that are used on a day and daily basis not only by the loyal orders, but also by other organisations such as mother and toddler groups, Women’s Institutes and Young Farmers – not that there’s too many of them in East Belfast!

I also wanted to congratulate all those who have been involved with Orangefest and the County Grand Lodge of Belfast for the work they have done to promote Orange culture in such a positive way and in a way which can help secure and enhance it in the years ahead. I believe that this approach not only allows our tradition to be celebrated, but does so in a way that opens it up to those from outside our own background and tradition.

The Orange Institution stages some of the largest cultural celebrations in Europe. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Glorious Revolution and with it the concept of civil and religious liberty for all which was cemented into our constitution and laws by the victory of William at the Boyne. Initiatives such as Orangefest which seek to broaden the appeal and develop the understanding of our cultural celebrations are extremely constructive. I want to see government respond to the positive actions of the Order and I know the new DCAL Minister, Gregory Campbell, is very keen to meet and discuss with you how his department can help in the future.

Gregory is of the view that it is not about whether there is some existing scheme from which Orange projects can benefit but, given what the Institution is trying to do by way of education, outreach and cultural advancement, whether there can be any new initiatives the Department can take which will develop the potential that has been identified. Moreover, I have often heard Orange spokespersons outline the potential that the 12th has in terms of tourism. I strongly agree. There is no good reason why Northern Ireland should not become a magnet for those around the globe who are interested in cultural tourism? It is a challenge with a huge potential, and I am delighted that the Institution is rising to meet it. There is much to do to make this a reality but I am certain that the work that is being done here can make it happen. Again Arlene Foster, our DETI Minister, is willing to play a full part in making progress in this area and working with you.

I will be happy to facilitate a dialogue on all these matters with the relevant Ministers to ensure that the Orange Institution is not limited in the progress it can make by a lack of vision in officialdom.

There are still other vital issues to be resolved, not least of which will be a resolution to the curtailment of the right to parade. I do not believe the Parades Commission is a part of the solution to this problem. It must go. We will continue to work for a way forward and we acknowledge the work already being carried out in reviewing this issue. But progress has been made on some other issues. Today, Orange Halls are exempt from Rates saving hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds. Progress has been made in ensuring halls damaged will have access to Government compensation. We will need to press during the consultation period for the removal of the sunset clause which would limit the length of this provision being in place. Many of these achievements have been realised by the best possible co-operation between the Orange Order and the political parties. I believe this relationship should continue to grow in the future.

One of the Orange Order’s great strengths down through the years has been the fact that it acts as a unifying force within the Protestant and Unionist community. Orangeism, in all its manifestations, belongs to us all, regardless of denomination or political allegiances. It is a place where people with different party political backgrounds and indeed those with no party political affiliations can come together. This is a positive and important role that the Order plays within the broad unionist community. Times have changed significantly since this great Institution was formed. Yet it is still relevant and vibrant. Human behaviour has changed. People’s outlooks change. Northern Ireland is changing. But the strength of any organisation will be found in its ability to adapt to changing circumstances while still remaining true to its core beliefs and traditions. By any standards the Orange Order’s long and historic existence is a testament to this. Now, it is clear the Order is framing its role for the next hundred years and if the progress of recent years is anything to go by then I am certain it can look forward to a most successful future.”

Best wishes on behalf of the Queen’s University Democratic Unionist Association for a happy, peaceful and relaxing 12th of July!

DUP Assembly Member for North Down Peter Weir has praised President Bush for his role in Northern Ireland. The DUP Assembly Member said that Mr. Bush has set a good example for future Presidents to follow in their dealings in Northern Ireland.
Speaking today Peter Weir said:

“George W Bush has been an excellent President of the United States as far as Northern Ireland was concerned. Unlike his predecessor in the Oval Office, Mr. Bush adopted an even-handed and balanced approach to Northern Ireland, taking a tough line when necessary. People will remember that his administration placed strong pressure on Republicans to come up to the mark on the issue of decommissioning, going as far as banning Sinn Fein from the White House. The sight of Gerry Adams hawking himself around Irish pubs on the US east coast rather than chin-wagging in the White House left Sinn Fein in no doubt that President Bush would tolerate no prevarication over issues concerning support for democratic principles or the rule of law.

More recently the Bush Administration has been to the forefront of securing US investment in Northern Ireland and has worked closely with the new Northern Ireland Executive to create jobs here. The people of Northern Ireland owe a debt to the individuals that Mr. Bush has sent to represent the United States in Northern Ireland. Richard Haas and Mitchell Reiss worked along with the DUP in forcing the pace of change upon Republicans – our American friends helped us to achieve the goal of getting Sinn Fein to sign up to support policing, the courts system and the institutions of the British state.

The irony of nationalists taking to the streets to protest against a man who has helped us move to the more peaceful situation that we have today, who has encouraged massive investment in our country and who has on numerous occasions actually entertained the self-same nationalists in the SDLP at the White House, will not be lost on ordinary people throughout Northern Ireland. As for the DUP, we salute President Bush and wish him well as he prepares to leave office unlike the hypocritical nationalists who protested against him yesterday whilst happily enjoying his hospitality in the past”, said the DUP MLA.

Speaking today, William McCrea said:
“Last weekend Sinn Fein embarked on a transparent attempt to foist their agenda upon the Unionist population. They cynically and selfishly sought to destabilise the political institutions in order to push their plans in relation to the devolution of Policing and Justice and the Irish language. Yesterday’s nomination of a First Minister shows that the Sinn Fein bluff has been well and truly called by the DUP.

Seven days ago the position of the DUP was that the devolution of Policing and Justice Powers could not take place until there was sufficient public confidence to allow it to happen. That remains the case today. One way in which public confidence could be increased would be for the illegal IRA Army Council to be disbanded. The DUP opposes any new Irish Language legislation, indeed it was a DUP Minister who binned this key Republican demand at Stormont. We have not moved one inch from that position.

The truth of the matter is that Gerry Adams was desperately seeking to re-establish some credibility following the string of defeats that have been inflicted on Sinn Fein in the Assembly by Unionists. The DUP is pleased to have binned an Irish Language Act: we have negotiated a veto on devolution of Policing and Justice and we will use it on behalf our community until they are confident enough to allow devolution of these powers to take place. The last seven days have changed nothing. The DUP is inside the devolved institutions pushing a strong Unionist agenda and preventing the imposition of a nationalist one via Direct Rule. I believe that is what the Unionist community want to see.”

Sammy Wilson MP MLA has asked why Jim Allister, Bairbre de Bruin and Jim Nicholson have so far failed to fill in and return a questionnaire concerning staff allowances sent from centre-right think tank Open Europe. Open Europe, which is a cross-party group campaigning for more openness and honesty in the European Union has confirmed to the Democratic Unionist Party that it sent out a questionnaire consisting of six simple questions to all UK MEPs on the 19th March 2008 and has of today yet to receive a reply from Mr. Allister, Ms. De Bruin or Mr. Nicholson.

Speaking today Mr. Wilson said:
“Assembly Members, MPs and local councillors have by UK law to provide for public scrutiny details of any and all expenses paid to them including travel and accommodation, office allowances and any other costs that they may incur. The only public representatives who do not have to declare these costs are Members of the European Parliament because they are not subject to the same Freedom of Information legislation as other public representatives. The European Parliament is notoriously difficult to get information from on issues concerning member’s expenses. Indeed only last month leaders of the various political groupings in Europe voted to abandon plans to introduce even basic rules on financial transparency into the Parliament.
Open Europe sent a six-question survey to all of the United Kingdom’s 79 MEPs. Thus far only 19 MEPs gave full answers to all questions whilst another 14 replied but gave only partial answers. The remaining 43 MEPs, including Mr. Allister, Ms. De Bruin and Mr. Nicholson have not responded at all to the questionnaire sent on 19th March 2008 – a full 11 weeks ago. What reason can there be for such delay?

In the past Mr. Allister has sought to set himself up as a champion for open government. Open Europe are actually listed in the links page of his website. He is particularly adept at the deployment of Freedom of Information legislation, which he himself as an MEP isn’t actually subject to, along with his colleagues Bairbre de Bruin and Jim Nicholson. Why have they thus far not responded to Open Europe’s simple survey? Will they each give an assurance that their response is either in the post or will be despatched soon to Open Europe providing full and detailed answers to all of the questions posed? In the interests of openness and fairness I look forward to seeing a full account of how our MEPs, spend their staffing allowances.”

Tickets are priced at £10 and the guest speaker will be party leader the Rt. Hon. Peter Robinson MP, MLA. Further information and tickets can be obtained by contacting the association (info@queensdua.co.uk)

Public Inquiries are costing millions of pounds of tax-payers money every month a DUP MP has claimed. Gregory Campbell, DUP Member of Parliament for East Londonderry was speaking out after a Parliamentary Question submitted to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward showed that over the course of a six month period from October 2007 to March of this year (the earliest figures available) the Robert Hamill Inquiry cost £2,705,350, whilst the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry cost £5,698,636 and the Billy Wright Inquiry cost £3,911,088.The Bloody Sunday Inquiry cost £2,355,549 over the period. Coupling these statistics with 48 upcoming inquests into security force related killings which the Chief Constable has described as “mini-public inquiries”, Mr. Campbell has claimed Northern Ireland could be spending as much as £100million per year for the next two or three years on historical inquiries.

Speaking today the DUP MP said:
“These inquiries are fast becoming an industry. However we have to ask ourselves can we as a society really afford to be spending so much public money on these costly public inquiries that could be invested elsewhere? What about the strain being placed on police resources because of obligations to these inquiries? Important as the issues being dealt with are, just what are we as a community gaining by government spending £5million a month of public money on inquiries into our troubled past?

Coupled with that, we are about to embark upon 48 inquests, which the Chief Constable has described as “mini inquiries” into security-force-related deaths in Northern Ireland – that will mean even more money being poured into paying for what amounts to more public inquiries. These funds could be put to much better use and I am sure many will question whether such expenditure represents genuine value for money in the economic plight which exists at the moment.”

Peter Weir, DUP Assembly Member for North Down, has said that the controversy engulfing Caitriona Ruane over the future of post-primary education serves as a reminder of the fact that Belfast Agreement-style government, where ministers in the Executive could do whatever they liked, is gone for good. Speaking today Peter Weir said:

“In the bad old days of the Belfast Agreement, the system of government crafted by the UUP and the other pro-Agreement parties allowed ministers to simply trot off and do whatever they wished within their own departmental remits. Decisions such as that taken by Bairbre de Brun to close maternity services at the Jubilee Maternity Unit and move them into the Royal Victoria Hospital in the heart of her West Belfast constituency, or the decision to abolish the 11+ test, could not be reversed because of the architecture of the old agreement designed by the Ulster Unionists.

Government departments were treated as free-standing silos, independent of each other and ministers, knowing they were utterly unaccountable could do as they pleased. Thanks to the efforts of the Democratic Unionist Party that is no longer the case. Due to the changes which we secured at St. Andrews, Caitriona Ruane cannot initiate any changes to our education system without the consent of her colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive.

The DUP has secured the future of academic selection in Northern Ireland. The recently leaked Sinn Fein memorandum on the issue admitted as much. We want to find a way forward on the vitally important issue of the future of our education system, but if Caitriona Ruane believes she can simply do whatever she likes on this matter, she is going to be greatly disappointed. She needs to get out of her “Free the Colombia Three”/West Belfast Festival-protest politician-mode and start behaving like a mature government minister trying to find a way forward on an issue of utmost importance.

The Trimble/Empey-days of ministers being in a position to initiate whatever policies they liked are over. Caitriona Ruane can bang her head against this brick-wall for as long as she likes, but sooner or later she will come to the realisation, as have many in her party, that she isn’t operating in a Belfast Agreement-style government: she needs the DUP to bring about any change in the education system and without the DUP she’s going nowhere fast on this issue.

People in Northern Ireland want an executive to be in charge of the business of government, they do not want solo-runs by maverick ministers. Good government relies upon a collective approach. As for the DUP, we want to see an agreed way forward, but failing that, people should be in no doubt whatsoever that academic selection is here to stay and there is nothing at all Caitriona Ruane can do about it.”

The DUP’s Education spokesman, Sammy Wilson MP MLA, has said that the Government’s target of 50% of young people in higher education by 2010 is misguided and should be scrapped. Speaking from Westminster Mr Wilson said,

“To reach this target, the Government is pushing more young people into university, a growing number of whom do not have the academic competence necessary to complete their courses and therefore drop out from their courses.

I have obtained figures from the Department of Employment and Learning that show that over 4100 young people dropped out of university in Northern Ireland in the years 2000-2005 at a cost of almost £15 million pounds, with the number of those dropping out increasing nearly every year.

Not every young person is suited to a university education, and we need to get rid of this mindset that a university education is the only ‘good’ form of education. We need a well educated, talented and skilled workforce, but it is not necessary for everyone to have a degree. It is time for the Labour government to draw back from this ridiculous, expensive and ill thought out target.”