Robinson wins support for Hillsborough Agreement in East Antrim
DUP Leader Peter Robinson was the guest speaker at a special DUP meeting in Larne on Wednesday night to discuss the Hillsborough Agreement. Mr Robinson stated that the agreement ensured that 2007 DUP manifesto commitments were honoured – that policing and justice powers would only be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly when there was community confidence and unionists could be assured that a Sinn Fein Minister can be blocked from holding the post.
Mr Robinson said:
“This agreement will ensure that policing and justice is devolved on terms that are acceptable to unionists. There will be no Sinn Fein policing and justice minister and the Chief Constable will be independent. The judiciary will be independent. All quasi-judicial decisions will be made by the Justice Minister without recourse to the Executive. There will be no new north south bodies and we have negotiated an extra £800 million funding for the police and the parades commission will not be in place next year. Unionists should welcome these conditions under which I believe devolution can and should take place.
Of course Jim Allister tells us he is opposed to the devolution of policing and justice powers. This is a somersault on his previous position. As a DUP Party Officer he helped to write the 2007 DUP Assembly Manifesto which detailed that the party was in favour of the devolution of those powers.
In addition to writing a manifesto supporting the devolution of policing and justice, Mr. Allister travelled around Northern Ireland singing its praises and knocked doors asking people to vote for it.
He wrote it. He campaigned for it. He asked people to vote for it. Now he says he’s against it. What does that say about his principles? Jim, not the DUP, walked away. The sad reality is that Jim Allister will oppose anything the DUP delivers because it is the DUP that delivers it.”
East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said:
“The agreement is a much better deal than what was already in place before the DUP led unionism. Indeed the UUP had committed to the devolution of policing and justice powers in 2005 and accepted that there would be a Sinn Fein minister, at a time when Sinn Fein were involved in terrorist activity! This agreement will mean that there will be no Sinn Fein justice minister and the independence of the police and justice system is guaranteed. This is a good deal with the necessary safeguards in place and, with the healthy financial package, it means that devolution can occur in a way that is acceptable to the unionist community. I would encourage members of the public to read the agreement and see for themselves the deal that was negotiated.”
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