Lord Empey, Chairman of the Ulster Unionist Party
Speech at the Ulster Unionist Party Conference
#UUP17
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
The wrong agenda for Northern Ireland
By any yardstick, the last ten months have been a political disaster for Northern Ireland. The Executive effectively stopped functioning in December last year, ostensibly over Sinn Fein’s new found concern over the RHI heating scheme scandal, but we all know that Sinn Fein had then, as they have now, their own political agenda.
The list of issues facing our Province and people is massive –
1) The ongoing and worsening challenges of the Health Service, with growing waiting lists and people being placed in harm’s way because over 50,000 of them are waiting for over a year for an appointment with a consultant;
2) Our schools were given notice of big budget cuts shortly before term started; how is any Board of Governors going to manage under those conditions?
3) Brexit continues to roll on with little progress being made in Brussels and even after talking to the EU Parliament’s rapporteur Guy Verhofstadt he doesn’t listen to us, effectively ignores the principle of consent in the Belfast Agreement and proposes a border up the middle of the Irish Sea! The total Northern Ireland Executive contribution to Brexit has been one two page letter back in August 2016;
4) The recent crisis at Bombardier continues to see no local Ministerial involvement, despite this company being our largest manufacturer, heading up a long and important local supply chain; vital talks in Canada, happening as we speak, see Northern Ireland represented by a civil servant, doing his best no doubt, but what must other countries and firms think when we then try and market ourselves a good place to do business?;
5) Today we are more than half way through the financial year, yet unbelievably there is still no budget agreed for 2017/2018!
More could be added to this list, but conference, this litany of political failure is an absolute disgrace. When I hear from Sinn Fein about their so called campaign about human rights and equality, I ask the simple question; what rights do the people on waiting lists have? Are they being treated equally with their fellow citizens? What about the family desperate for some social care help, who speaks for them? Or parents, desperate to get their child with special needs appropriate help? Are they not to be treated equally?
Instead of concentrating on this agenda, the last 10 months has seen Sinn Fein having its agenda discussed endlessly; they use and abuse the Irish language, just as republicans did with the GAA in the 19th century, treating it as a political football. How is it conference, that the political agenda has been hijacked by Gerry Adams?’
I think the time has come to replace Gerry’s fake agenda with a real political agenda, based around the needs and suffering of the many and not about dealing with manufactured cultural grievances that are already well catered for.
We should start making the running by focusing on the risk to life and limb, the education of our young people and the growing needs of our economy, especially in the context of Brexit. This is the real agenda. How can our politics have been dominated by demands for an Irish language Act? Folks, I can say categorically that during the 1996-1998 Talks leading up to the Belfast Agreement, Sinn Fein never asked for an Irish Language Act, and neither did they mention it during the first Executive either.
This situation is intolerable, and despite all their bluster, the DUP have failed during the past year to stop or replace the Sinn Fein agenda. By their actions inside the current talks they are inadvertently working to the Sinn Fein agenda, and thereby acquiescing in the Adams blackmail strategy.
We remember back to the heady days of ‘curry my yogurt’ and feeding crocodiles. We should by now have learned the lesson that if you make little of somebody’s culture and identity, those offended will respond. This was the trigger for the Sinn Fein surge and it hasn’t yet abated.
Those most effected
I have mentioned some of those in our community who are losing out because of this self-inflicted stalemate.
But it is our young people who stand to lose out most in the long term. We shall hear more from the young unionists later on, but a mishandling of Brexit and the ongoing neglect of the economy could disadvantage the young in the years ahead. Brexit is the biggest constitutional and economic upheaval to face us in generations, yet Stormont is out to lunch and we are squabbling over a Language Act that has the capacity to Balkanise our country further.
Brexit will touch every part of our community and economy, from agriculture right through to consumer affairs. This is where our efforts should be concentrated to get the best deal for the current and future generations. We should be concentrating on upskilling and equipping the younger generation for the challenges that technology will bring in the near future. Instead Stormont is in lockdown because of arguments that belong to the 19th and not the 21st century.
I commend our MEP Jim Nicholson for his work in Brussels in highlighting the difficulties we face – thank you Jim. Let us make every effort to ensure that Brexit is delivered to our best interests and that we are not taking our eye off the ball during these crucial negotiations.
Conclusion
Our new Leader was given a baptism of fire when immediately following his election as Leader a General Election was called. Since then Stormont has been in limbo and our MLAs are left in a position of trying to help their constituents, but without the powers that are needed to deliver. On your behalf I wish to thank Robin for bravely taking on the job of leading us. I look forward to what he has to say to us later, but the evidence of the last few months is that he doesn’t get flustered and maintains a steady and measured leadership style, which is respected throughout the Party. Thank you Robin!
When we leave here today, we know that yet more deadlines are looming, with James Brokenshire warning that in a few weeks he will have to legislate at Westminster for a budget for the current year. By that stage it may be clearer whether or not Sinn Fein and the DUP will reach an agreement. Then, conference, we will know, as a leading journalist said this week, whether or not the crocodiles are coming home to roost!