Subscribe to the News Feed Newsback to News

Monday, 08 March 2010

UUP and SF in meeting row

Ulster Unionist Leader Sir Reg Empey, leaving the Hilton hotel in Templepatrick with party colleagues

The Ulster Unionists have claimed they "were thrown out" of a meeting with the deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, hours before a crucial assembly vote on the devolution of policing and justice.

We’re sorry. This video is unavailable from your location.

UUP 'thrown out'
Analysis

The UUP leadership met with Mr McGuinness to discuss the party's concerns ahead of Tuesday's vote.

Read Ken Reid's blog: Decision day

UTV understands the meeting ended after only three minutes.

"The deputy First Minister's angry and aggressive attempt to lecture the UUP was wholly unacceptable. When challenged on his tone, the meeting broke down", Ulster Unionist Chief Whip Fred Cobain said.

"If this is how Sinn Fein understands power-sharing, then it is small wonder that the Executive is dysfunctional".

Sinn Fein junior minister Gerry Kelly has denied the UUP MLAs had been thrown out of the meeting.

"I have to say I have been bemused at the position of the UUP, who seem to be playing crude politics with, I think, everybody's future here," Mr Kelly said.

"They need to get real. They're not doing themselves any political favours", he told UTV.

'Wrong time'

The UUP will make a final decision on whether or not to back devolution at a meeting of the party's executive on Monday night.

"At this stage it looks as though the Ulster Unionists are going to vote against the proposals," UTV's Political Editor Ken Reid said.

On Sunday, the UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said nothing substantive had been done to assuage his concerns about the Hillsborough deal, despite a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"I will not be lectured by anyone whether from America or Sinn Fein or anyone, particularly not the Secretary of State on this issue", UUP health minister Michael McGimpsey told UTV.

"Our credentials on this are absolutely impeccable. This is the wrong time. Devolution and the executive are not working. The assembly is not functioning as it should; therefore it will be absolutely wrong to put a key responsibility like devolution of policing and justice into the mix."

Earlier, the Ulster Unionists hit back at the Northern Ireland Office after a government poll was published on Sunday night, indicating that three quarters of people in the region want the transfer of policing and justice powers.

"This is not the first time that the NIO has released dubious polling data at a dubious time on the issue of devolution of policing and justice", UUP deputy leader Danny Kennedy said.

"However the Ulster Unionist Party will not be bullied by Shaun Woodward on this issue."

The results were published hours after the UUP restated its intention to oppose devolution.

Significantly, out of those people polled who considered themselves as UUP voters, 73% said they wanted to see the powers transferred.

"The NIO are refusing to release details of which company was commissioned for the polling or any other information on who was surveyed, where and on what questions", Mr Kennedy said.

"If the Secretary of State has nothing to hide about this poll he will release the full information about the poll today - ahead of the Assembly vote."

A fresh survey commissioned by First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Mr McGuinness endorsed the NIO finding.

The wide-ranging opinion poll, released on Monday evening, also showed that 91% of people want to see Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness working together for the whole community.

Policing and justice powers will be devolved on 12 April, if a resolution jointly tabled by the First and Deputy First Ministers gets cross-community support in an Assembly vote on Tuesday.

Sinn Fein and the DUP have enough MLAs in the Assembly to secure the required cross-community vote.

The DUP's executive will meet on Monday night to assess whether there is enough confidence within the community to go ahead with the deal.

"There definitely was a change in Peter Robinson's language last week and there is speculation that if the Ulster Unionists do vote against, then the DUP could well press ahead and that's what the government wants," Ken Reid said.

"We have an agreement that is sound. It provides safety and security to the people of Northern Ireland", Mr Robinson told UTV.

"This is a good deal".

Send to a friend

Email To
Your Name
Comment

Comments

18 Comments

At 11:01 on 10 March 2010, lorna wrote:

Deaglan Bhreathnach. But the Ulster Unionists do matter and they make sense to many Unionist voters. What the DUP are afraid of now with Martin not making himself endearing to the Protestants by recent speaches the UU will take over being the strongest Unionists party. Just remember you will never push Unionists into accepting anything Irish until they know their rights are looked after. We do not want any murders and we should be looking to replace this Orange and green to something for the good of ALL in this country. Kate Carroll is no differnt to many Police widows who have pleaded in the past to stop the killing and was never heard.I sincerely hope there is no more ladys to bare such grief.

At 10:54 on 09 March 2010, lorna wrote:

This is what you get when you exclude any party from the making of this agreement. With the election coming up and many Unionist voters unhappy with the way this agreement was handled. If there was nothing to fear from the agreement why exclude the UUP. How can you expect the rest of the unionist to be happy. It was a fault on SF and DUP to agnore the voters of the UUP. Remembering they were more liberal than DUP in the past. They were willing to share power before. Its like a never ending circle here and I blame the way NI has always had Orange or Green policits and true policits have never been the issue. They will always have to think the way voters vote

At 09:51 on 09 March 2010, Deaglan Bhreathnach wrote:

I could laugh at these idiots saying 'stand your ground on the education issue' what about health?? the health service in this statelet is depraved and getting more and more third world like, and wait, who is the health minister, oh dear, yes indeed, it is Mr. Personality, the gimp himself! they have some front talking about education, its a poor and lame excuse people! Maybe we should have Kennedy as education minister, he would have alot in common with an 11 year old!

At 09:43 on 09 March 2010, Deaglan Bhreathnach wrote:

First of all, everyone should listen to Kate Carroll, and ask yourself do we want to go back to this on a daily basis, this womans life was ripped apart, she can find it in her to forgive the animals who killed her husband, but she just wants peace. we are in a wonderful position to show terrorists that we have a political system that works and that we all support it! Is that really too much to ask of the UUP? The UUP are angry about these opinion polls? in reality why are they so angry that the people of the country have been asked? are we not entitled to speak? does it matter not what we think? they make out they were thrown out of McGuinness' office, what rubbish, it is the UUP that are being hysterical. And that Danny Kennedy, am I the only one whose nerve ends go awry when he speaks or should I say, when he opens his mouth and drivles! The UUP want to make noise, theyre almost political history, and at this rate theyre certain to be political history! Move on without them, theyre so insignificant they matter not anyway!

At 23:12 on 08 March 2010, Seamus M wrote:

Deaglan, an economically and politically integrated Ireland will come in time. This part of the island cost the British tax payer £50 billion per year and rising. The real question is how to facilitate their departure while allowing them to save face. I believe their path lies in the ongoing process of devolution. Devolution is the process by which the British will leave this part of Ireland. Beginning next year and beyond, it is their intent to begin reducing the welfare given to keep the six counties viable. As we witness our standard of living being reduced, I suspect this will force us all to look south.

At 22:04 on 08 March 2010, charles wrote:

I take it deaglen bhreathnach, you do all your shopping etc in the wonderful glorious "free state" where everything is so so much better. I wonder how many of your republican friends and associates from the "banana republic" head north every week to shop in the asda's of newry or enniskillen. Your sad blinkered panacea of a united ireland may not be so grand as you think. Did anyone ever tell you, you can't eat a tricolour. You should also bear in mind that your wonderful sinn finn have neither support or respect in the free state, and whenever ireland is united by democratic wishes of the majority of people in Northern Ireland, then Unionists will hold the balance of power in the Dail, while sinn finn support will melt away as no proper democratic government will want the nazi policies that are synomous with the shinners.

At 19:34 on 08 March 2010, Blaine wrote:

The political jeering of the UUP and this decision in particular wasn't to be expected. I for one agree whole-heartedly with the UUP's decision on the matter, in that they have denied another piece of forced-democracy to be passed for the "good" of the people. Were the UUP really asking so much in return for their vote on the matter? It wasn't so long ago that the country was up in arms regarding Caitriona Ruane's demolishing of the 11+, and now when the UUP, the only party who want to sort the issue out I might add, want it sorted, they get nothing but criticism! Ask yourselves who the real politicians are in the matter, for the ones who sold themselves to pressurised politics certainly aren't, and I think it fair to question the legitimacy of politics carried out in this way.