uuptoday.org

This was the message from Carrickfergus Ulster Unionist Councillor Mark Cosgrove in his speech to North Down Ulster Unionists at their AGM held in Groomsport Boat Club.

Speaking to a packed audience including Lady Slyvia Hermon MP and North Down MLA’s Leslie Cree and Alan McFarland, Mr Cosgrove spoke of the current political climate in Northern Ireland and told fellow Unionists,

“We created and sustained Northern Ireland when others ran away. We made the political sacrifices for peace whilst others did it for power and the evidence of this has now been placed before the people.”

Continuing Cllr Cosgrove said “real politics is upon us where we will be judged not on rhetoric but on what we actually do in areas such as the health service, further education, what we do in our constituencies for the people. One of the key challenges facing us all is the future of education.” He added, “simply saying everything is OK simply won’t do. Because it’s not OK, not just because whilst we boast the top results in the UK’s academic league table we often forget to mention we also have the most underperforming students too.”

Enforcing his point Mr Cosgrove stressed “the reality of the status quo is that it does not provide equality of opportunity. Parental time, a child’s education, diet, and income all play a massive role in a child’s opportunity in life.”

“Northern Ireland has had a huge fall in the birth rate which has led to thousands of empty desks. Our grammar schools are taking over 50% of their intake from non-grade A pupils. So, whilst I am in favour of sustaining our excellent academic schools via an agreed form of selection, the real challenge and the real debate is about the other 75% of kids who are failing. We need to promote a society where the vocational route is as respected as the academic one.” he said.

“These are the some of the things that our politicians will be judged upon going forward,” he concluded.

Councillor Cosgrove then presided over the election of new Association Officers for the incoming year.

Ulster Unionist Parades Spokesman Michael Copeland met today with Lord Ashdown and his strategic review of parading body. The meeting was held at the request of Lord Ashdown and was designed to update political parties on the progress of his task.

In a statement Mr Copeland said,

“Lord Ashdown’s review body has been deliberately constructed to include within itself the diverse opinions regarding parades which are evident in wider society. They have thus far managed to operate by consensus and have produced initial findings that reflect that fact. The key to the success or failure of any future proposals will lie with the inclusion and proper consultation evidenced the early stages of this process and the ability of those parties to reflect the goodwill evident in Lord Ashdown’s team.

This must, at this stage, be encouraging as it stands in stark contrast to the dictatorial bunker mentality evidenced by the current and former Parades Commissions. All right thinking people must wish Lord Ashdown and his team well. The proof of the pudding however will be in the eating.”