Opinion piece by Ulster Unionist Party Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA which appeared in 'The Newsletter' on Tuesday 16th August 2016.
New York City was a very dangerous place in the 1990s. 2,245 people died in the City in 1990, a record number of murders. But that changed suddenly and dramatically, when Mayor Rudy Giuliani decided on a zero tolerance attitude to crime. There was no turning a blind eye, no passive tolerance, or shrug of the shoulder to indicate that that was the way of the world.
This time last year, Northern Ireland needed to see the same zero tolerance from its political leaders, as one terrorist murder begot another; Kevin McGuigan was shot dead in broad daylight, just as Jock Davison had been a few weeks earlier, both on the streets of our capital city.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland, the British Government and the dogs on the street knew what was happening. The Provisional IRA were involved. The police went further, confirming PIRA not only still existed, but did so with a formal structure, which we were later told was indeed the so-called Army Council. Only Sinn Féin were in denial, true to their name and nature – Ourselves Alone.
The Ulster Unionist Party believes its thoughts and actions must be based on putting the interests of the country ahead of the party. It was on that basis that we withdrew from the Northern Ireland Executive. We were, afterall, not only sharing power, we were also sitting around the table with Sinn Féin in protracted negotiations chaired by the then Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, negotiations focused on the finances of our devolved government, the failure to agree welfare reform, and just about everything but the continued existence of the IRA and the fact that some of its number were still wedded to murder.
In withdrawing from the Executive, we forced the issue of terrorism back onto the Stormont House talks agenda. We got it to the top of the list of issues, and it stayed there, as reflected in the opening pages of the self-styled Fresh Start Agreement and the enabling Westminster legislation.
What has followed has been disappointing, not just the dozens of resignations and reinstatements of DUP Executive Ministers during their flip-flop hokey-cokey reaction to Sinn Féin’s denial, but also the commitment, if commitment is the word, to establishing an Independent Reporting Commission, which will report annually on progress towards the final disbandment of paramilitary groups. Annual reports? How much clearer can the DUP and Sinn Féin be that they are not going to take this opportunity to draw the line in the sand and exhibit a New York-style zero tolerance to terrorism.
The Belfast Agreement was based on the offer of a fully inclusive political future for all. 18 years on, it is clear there are some who will never accept that invitation, as was all too evident in last Sunday’s murder of John Boreland. They have effectively excluded themselves. That should be greeted with a clear-cut, decisive and timely reaction, from the police, the criminal justice system, and our politicians. New York has shown what can be done and how quickly change can be effected.