UUP Leader responds to Blair’s Resignation
In a statement today Sir Reg said,
“There can be no question that the Prime Minister was deeply committed to Northern Ireland. Without that commitment the Belfast Agreement, upon which our current institutions are based would not have been reached.
His tactics and approach, while questionable on occasion, have delivered what we all hope is a lasting and stable political solution. Northern Ireland now has a devolved government where old animosities and the horrors of the past can be replaced by meaningful, normal politics. For this, the people of Northern Ireland owe Mr Blair a debt of gratitude.
On the mainland the Prime Minister’s overall legacy is still very much overshadowed by Iraq. It will take a while for the British public to determine, what mark, if any, his tenure at Downing Street has left on the British political landscape.
On a personal level I found Mr Blair to be friendly, affable and committed. He was a very professional politician with an admirable and on occasion, ruthless, determination.”