“United Front necessary to maximise Economic Investment” says Empey, and calls on First and Deputy First Ministers to convene Party Leaders Meeting
Ulster Unionist Party Leader Sir Reg Empey today called on the First and Deputy First Ministers to convene a meeting of Party Leaders to discuss the critical issues of the forthcoming economic conference, the Budget/Programme for government, and operation of the Executive. Sir Reg said only a united front would maximise potential investment. In a statement Sir Reg said,
“Northern Ireland has a window of opportunity lasting for the next six months, to secure meaningful investment from US based companies. After the Economic Conference in May 2008, US attention will switch to the Presidential election next November and the economic consequences for the US domestic economy. The Ulster Unionist Party wants the economic conference to succeed and deliver real and tangible investment. My own Department of Employment and Learning will be central to help deliver the skilled personnel investors will need, so I have every reason to work for a successful outcome.
This atmosphere will not come about naturally however, as recent events have demonstrated. The Executive must be a real coalition between parties and not just a collection of individuals there as of right. If some parties resort to riding roughshod over other parties then it is not a proper coalition in any meaningful sense of the word. Leaving aside the row over Margaret Ritchie’s decisions on the CTI money, the developments of last week, when Sinn Fein decided to ignore the Executive and press ahead with a statement on education from Caitriona Ruane, illustrates the double standard that the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP were referring to in October. There is clearly one law within the Executive for Sinn Fein and another for the SDLP.
The next few months may well be the last chance for Northern Ireland to achieve the economic kick start that we so obviously need, given that the so called economic package from London has failed to materialise. While we await the outcome of the Varney Report and the outworking of the EU taskforce on Northern Ireland, it seems to me that the spring economic conference takes on even more importance.
I repeat my call to the First and Deputy First Ministers to start a process of consolidating the Assembly by convening a meeting of the Party Leaders to discuss the critical issues of the economic conference, the Budget/Programme for government, and operation of the Executive.
The presentation of a ‘united front’ by the Assembly next spring would be an excellent background against which to attract and persuade potential investors that Northern Ireland really does have the skills and business friendly environment to maximise their investment.”