Gardiner says Queen’s sense of duty is an example to Local Politicians
Samuel Gardiner MLA, Ulster Unionist Assemblyman for Upper Bann said today that the United Kingdom owed a great deal to HM the Queen and that it was fitting that we all took time to pause and think, on this the occasion of Her Majesty’s 80th birthday, of the contribution she has made as an individual to the well-being of the country.
“The Queen has given a great sense of continuity to our national life. When you consider that her First Prime Minister was Sir Winston Churchill, a political figure who first entered national life in the reign of Queen Victoria, it reinforces the importance of the monarchy as part of the cement which welds our national life together and which binds the past to the future. The sense of national identity and the whole character of the country is moulded by the institution of monarchy.”
“The tremendous sense of duty which HM the Queen has shown over a lifetime of royal service and after 54 years on the throne is an example to everyone in the country of how important individual duty, dedication and service actually are. It is a particular example to all those of us who are engaged in public life.”
“It sends out a very important message to all political figures here that their duty to the electorate and their obligation to serve them should be a paramount consideration in their political lives. It sends out a message to them that their first duty is to ensure stability and continuity for the Province and the only way to do that is by activating the Assembly, in which they were elected to serve. They should put this duty before narrow party interest.”