NSMC Meeting is Categoric Proof that DUP are a party of Power not Principle - McFarland
Senior Ulster Unionist Alan McFarland today welcomed the fact that the DUP have finally and completely rubberstamped the Belfast Agreement by attending the North South Ministerial Council meeting.
The North Down MLA, while welcoming the move, said however that this latest u-turn was categoric proof that the DUP is not a party of principle but a party of power.
In a statement Mr McFarland,
“We welcome the fact that at last the DUP have finally, completely and irreversibly signed up to all 3 strands of the Belfast Agreement, thus vindicating the UUP’s position.
In fact the DUP have gone further than we would have by agreeing to a North-South Parliamentary Forum, something that to us was firmly beyond the pale.
In January 2001 Peter Robinson indicated that he would allow DUP Executive Ministers to meet their Dublin counterparts “as long as it is not in the context” of NSMC. He went on to explain his refusal to accept the NSMC: “The NSMC structure was set up for political reasons and structurally the two parts of the country are working under one political entity and that we will have nothing to do with”. (Sunday Tribune 28th Jan 01.)
The DUP’s 2001 Westminster Manifesto described the NSMC as “an embryo united Ireland government” (p. 9).
The DUP’s 2003 policy paper “Towards a New Agreement” stated, “the NSMC is the central element of North/South co-operation negotiated in the Belfast Agreement” (p. 19).
The St. Andrews Agreement merely provided for NSMC papers to be circulated to all Executive members prior to the meeting of NSMC. It also noted that the Executive Committee should agree relevant matters - ironically this is exactly the situation criticised in the DUP’s 2003 paper: “only the Executive parties have any vote on decisions … power is vested in Ministers”
What we have as a result of today’s u-turn by the DUP is categoric proof, if it were needed that, that they are a Party of power and not of principle. The people of Northern Ireland have been kept back from 10 years of progress until the DUP decided to get its act together. What a waste.”