Of the 11 Councils Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is the largest geographically and smallest numerically.

The political make-up of the Council is as follows

1 Independent Republican

16 Provisional Sinn Fein

1 Independent (Former Sinn Fein and now a member of Fianna Fail)

2 Independents (Former SDLP)

6 SDLP

8 Ulster Unionists

6 DUP

A total of 40 Councillors – 26 Nationalists and 14 Unionists.

The reality of political life west of the Bann.

Nationalists outnumber Unionists and Sinn Fein is dominant within Nationalism.

These numbers make it extremely difficult for Unionists to make any headway or have any success on political issues.

But tenacity and using the proper procedures can achieve results.

I will cite one small example.

Council received a request from the Omagh Branch of the Ireland Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (who promote a Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign against Israel) to address an informal meeting of Council.

This was agreed to.

Subsequently a request was received from Northern Ireland Friends of Israel to be afforded the same opportunity.

A Unionist proposal to allow NIFOI to address Council was voted down.

A proposal to adopt BDS as Council policy was carried against Unionist wishes.

A proposal to write to NIFOI asking for clarification on NIFOI’s attitude to BDS was passed - again against Unionist wishes - prior to deciding if they should be allowed to address Council.

The Ulster Unionist group then initiated a Call-In of the Council decision taken to ask NIFOI for clarification on their position on BDS against Israel prior to considering whether to afford them an opportunity to address Council.

The Call in was debated at the Council Meeting of 26 July and following my submission on the grounds of inequality I proposed that NIFOI be afforded the opportunity to address an Informal meeting a requested.

Again the proposal fell.

At a subsequent meeting the response from NIFOI opposing BDS was tabled.

I proposed that as NIFOI had clarified their position on BDS and in the interest of equality they should be afforded the opportunity to address Council.

Surprisingly this was agreed to. Perhaps the call in process had been an embarrassment to some.

The Omagh branch of the Ireland Palestinian Solidarity campaign have now had the opportunity to address council. There were some interesting questions.

The NIFOI group are due to address us prior to the P and R meeting in November and that could also be an interesting evening.

So just as Robert the Bruce said if at first you don’t succeed try and try again.