Posts filed under 'A Fair and Inclusive Society'
Ulster Unionist MLAs Danny Kennedy and Tom Elliott have called on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to heed the calls made in today’s Assembly debate on a Bill of Rights to ensure that the Commission’s advice on the matter to the Secretary of State has cross-community support. A shared UUP-DUP motion expressed grave concern at the lack of cross-community support for the recommendations contained in the Report of the Bill of Rights Forum, and strongly urged the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to ensure cross-community support for its advice to the Secretary of State…
Continue Reading E-mail April 9th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
THE DUP and Sinn Fein alliance is in chaos according to Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy.
Speaking from Stormont after the Consideration Stage of the Commission for Victims and Survivors Bill was unexpectedly, and at the last minute, postponed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) the MLA described as “cruel incompetence” the DUP/SF handling of the Bill: “Only last week, OFMDFM were telling the Assembly that this was crucial legislation which had to be accelerated in order to ensure the Victims Commission was secure allowing it to get up and running…
Continue Reading E-mail April 8th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
The Ulster Unionist Party is seeking to amend the Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 to change the current definition of a ‘victim’ to protect innocent victims of the Troubles from being lumped together with convicted terrorists. The UUP have also outlined their extreme disappointment that the DUP have failed to put forward any amendment on the issue in light of their long-standing claims that they are against the existing definition.
Continue Reading E-mail April 1st, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Ahead of today’s publication of the Report of the Bill of Rights Forum, Dermot Nesbitt, the Ulster Unionist Party’s Rights and Equality Spokesperson, has urged the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission not to ignore the lack of cross-community support evident in the Forum’s Report.
Mr Nesbitt, a member of the Forum,, stated: “The Ulster Unionist Party participated in good faith in the Bill of Rights Forum, and I wish to thank the Chair - Professor Chris Sidoti - and his staff, for all their hard work.
“For nearly a decade, the issue of a bill of rights has been allowed to drift precisely because some key players had little or no interest in securing cross-community support for any proposals. Today, with the report’s publication, we can see in the most categorical and explicit terms that there is no cross-community support for a bill of rights which, instead of addressing the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland, has become a wish-list for some well-meaning and some not so well-meaning causes and agendas.
“Like every other part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland already has a bill of rights in the Human Rights Act 1998. The Human Rights Act protects the fundamental rights and liberties of all people in the UK. According to the Belfast Agreement, we were meant to consider the scope for supplementary rights addressing some of the historic divisions in Northern Ireland - issues surrounding culture, identity, and equality.
“That is why we proposed a general equality and non-discrimination provision; urged the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities; and supported clauses to secure the interests of the innocent victims of terrorism.
“The lack of cross-community support, however, for the vast majority of recommendations discussed in the Forum is quite simply staggering. Now it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to carefully reflect on this fact and ensure that its proposals to the Secretary of State have the confidence of all parts of our community and political opinion in Northern Ireland”.
Paula Bradshaw, who also represented the Ulster Unionist Party on the Forum, said: “The UUP was concerned throughout the entire process that the grandiose claims made by some about socio-economic rights ignored hard realities. To claim that a bill of rights would solve issues such as housing or child poverty is disingenuous nonsense. The UUP strongly believes that these and other issues should be addressed through legislation, government programmes and targeted intervention. To do otherwise would undermine parliamentary democracy.
Politicians are elected by, and have a mandate from, the people of Northern Ireland to make hard decisions for society in relation to the use and allocation of resources – it is not for the courts to decide how tax-payers’ money should be spent. In the UK constitution, it is the role of judges and the courts to interpret and apply the law - not to make the law.
“In relation to some of the contentious issues mentioned in the media in recent months, the UUP opposes the raising of the age of criminal responsibility to 18; opposes proposed changes in relation to the age of recruitment into the armed forces; and, opposes calls for court-imposed changes to abortion law - as with many of the issues discussed in the Forum, this should be a matter for the elected representatives of the people of Northern Ireland in our Assembly.”
E-mail March 31st, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Tom Elliott Ulster Unionist MLA for South Tyrone has welcomed the fact that his party colleagues the Ulster Unionist Ministers Sir Reg Empey and Michael McGimpsey have pushed the issue of the classification of ‘victim’ onto the Executive’s Agenda. Under the current Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 a victim can mean anyone who has been affected physically or psychologically as a result of a conflict-related incident. This leaves the door open for former terrorists to claim that they are ‘victims’ of the Troubles. The opportunity to change the definition has arisen due to the need to introduce legislation that will accommodate four Victims’ Commissioners. In light of this opportunity Sir Reg and Michael McGimpsey wrote to the Executive calling for the legislation to be amended. The Executive decided that the issue should be dealt with by the Ulster Unionists tabling an amendment to the Order and debating it on the floor of the Assembly. The Ulster Unionists are now seeking the support of the DUP and others on this issue.
In a statement Mr. Elliott said,
“Under the current definition a perpetrator of acts of terrorism is given the same legal status and potential compensation as an innocent victim of an act of terrorism; as I have stated this is clearly wrong and I am confident that most people agree that it should be changed. That is why I am very pleased that Sir Reg and Michael McGimpsey have pushed this matter onto the Executive agenda and we will now be bringing forward amendments to the long title of the Order and to the definition of ‘victim and survivors’ to ensure that provisions do not apply to those injured or killed while undertaking criminal acts or those who have received terrorist related convictions.
I would call on the DUP to support this initiative which will be dealt with in the week commencing the 31st March in the Assembly. We believe there is a groundswell of support on our view of the definition of a ‘victim’ and it will now be up to the Assembly to respond to this. I hope we can get a positive response across the political spectrum to ensure the correct outcome for all innocent victims in Northern Ireland.
In essence this process is about ensuring the best outcome for those innocent people who have in many instances had their lives ruined by acts of terrorism. It is also about building trust in our government institutions and the parties within them; ensuring that on this issues the new political dispensation in Northern Ireland does not get dragged into the political machinations of its past therefore the law has to be more categorical on the definition of a ‘victim’ ”.
Continue Reading E-mail March 14th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
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.”
Continue Reading E-mail March 13th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Tom Elliott MLA, Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone and member of the Committee of OFMDFM, believes that Ulster Unionist Leader Sir Reg Empey and his Ministerial colleague Michael McGimpsey will tomorrow call upon the Executive to use their devolved powers to change the unsatisfactory definition of ‘victim’ that exists in current legislation. Under the current Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order (2006) a victim can mean anyone who has been affected physically and psychologically as a result of a conflict-related incident. This leaves the door open for former terrorists to claim that they are ‘victims’ of the Troubles. The opportunity to change the definition has arisen due to the need to introduce legislation that will accommodate four Victims’ Commissioners…
Continue Reading E-mail March 12th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Roy Beggs MLA, Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson on Children’s Issues, who sat on the Bill of Rights Forum’s Children’s Working Group, has voiced his objection to the proposed plan to raise the age of when a young person becomes responsible for their crimes to 16 or 18.
Roy Beggs, Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim, claimed that “the BORF children’s working group has gone way beyond the remit set by the Belfast Agreement which was to give consideration to the ‘particular circumstances’ of Northern Ireland. The UUP both in the Working Group and in the Bill of Rights Forum has clearly and robustly argued against any proposed Bill of Rights seeking to change the age of criminal responsibility.”
He continued to claim that the Bill of Rights was not the appropriate place to address the issue of youth justice policy. He suggested that instead of the forum dealing with this important issue that it should be addressed through legislation. Roy Beggs MLA stated that “it would be more beneficial and practical to reform the youth justice procedures through legislation at Westminster rather than by a Bill of Rights. If the age of responsibility was changed by legislation it could be changed in a graduated manner with appropriate checks and balances to ensure that the public was protected.
In the course of my casework I have dealt with vulnerable constituents who have suffered as a result of a small number of young people who do not respect their neighbours. I have also taken part in anti social behaviour patrols alongside the PSNI and am therefore opposed to any wide reaching proposal which may inhibit the curtailment of anti social behaviour. There is also a clear need for safeguards against particular crimes such as murder, manslaughter and rape. I am therefore opposed to the current proposals which lack in detail and offer no such protection.”
The East Antrim Assemblyman stated that he was “completely against raising the age limit of criminal responsibility to 18. I believe that if a 17 yr old has committed a crime then they should be held accountable. There is a need to respect the rights of young citizens. Equally they have a responsibility to respect the rights of their fellow citizens.”
Continue Reading E-mail February 27th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Danny Kennedy Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and MLA for Newry and Armagh has welcomed the Speaker’s intention to refer Sinn Fein’s Mairéad Farrell tribute to the Assembly Commission.
In a statement Mr Kennedy said,
“The Ulster Unionist Party continues to make strong representations to the Speaker, and Stormont authorities, resolutely opposing the application by Jennifer McCann and Sinn Fein to eulogise a convicted terrorist in Parliament Buildings.
We welcome the statement the Speaker has made and that the matter will now be considered urgently by the Assembly Commission. The Ulster Unionist member of the Assembly Commission Dr. Robert Coulter will be opposing this application in the strongest possible manner. We welcome and encourage others to share our position on this matter given that we were the first Party to raise the issue.
Furthermore, the proposed event would be held in the month that marks the 20th anniversary of the brutal murder of Corporals Howes and Wood. Those murders were amongst the most savage acts undertaken by the Republican movement – shocking civilized opinion across the globe. It is staggering to think that Ms. McCann and her Sinn Fein colleagues now seek to glorify a bitter, painful time in our recent past.”
Unlike others the Ulster Unionist Party does not equate the actions of Mairéad Farrell with the SAS and other special forces. The SAS played an essential part in defending Northern Ireland from 30 years of terrorist onslaught, an onslaught that was perpetrated by people such as Mairéad Farrell and her cohorts”.
Continue Reading E-mail February 26th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
Ulster Unionist Party Parades spokesman Michael Copeland has described the latest Sinn Fein equality initiative as a ‘Trojan horse of known pedigree’ and the latest offensive in a long practised campaign of cultural warfare.
In a statement Mr Copeland said,
“If Sinn Fein truly care about equality they would do well to examine and comment on the disparity of treatment regarding the memory of the thousands of members of the security services who gave their lives generally at the hands republican terrorists, and who by so doing bought time for many of those currently involved in the Stormont administration to come to their senses.
All right thinking people must be seriously concerned at the £181 Million expended by the Bloody Sunday inquiry which equates to almost £13 Million per casualty. When this amount is balanced against the paltry sums expended to bring to justice those responsible for Bloody Friday, La Mon, Teebane and a whole host of other atrocities, many find it hard to stomach the fact that those who perpetuated by rhetoric on the one hand and by death and destruction on the other the thirty years of terror now appear to be calling the shots.”
Continue Reading E-mail February 6th, 2008
Alex Benjamin
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