No Council support for 'unworthy' DUP motion

Put to last Monday night’s March meeting of the local authority by Cllr Robin Stirling and seconded by Cllr Roy Gillespie, it read: “Ballymena Borough Council contends that the Democratic Unionist Party, in progressing its shameless betrayal of Unionism, has displayed incompetence, political amorality and self-interest in negotiating the Hillsborough Agreement. In recalling that Dr Paisley pledged that his party would reduce Sinn Fein to a state of ‘sackcloth and ashes’, Council affirms that the DUP, conceding to the demands of Republicanism, in the St Andrews negotiations, is unworthy to represent Unionism; rather, the St Andrews Agreement, with its predictable outworking at Hillsborough, gives credibility to Sinn Fein’s assertion that a seminal staging post has been reached on the path to Irish unity”.

Speedily speaking out on the motion, the DUP’s Tommy Nicholl and Beth Adger confirmed they would be voting against it.

Mr Nicholl said he didn’t even want “to touch the motion”, adding “The TUV is one of the biggest threats ot the Union that we have today”.

Cllr Adger said: “Jim Allister has him (Stirling) brainwashed.

“Everyone I have spoken to just wants a peaceful future,” said Mrs Adger, adding: “Jim Allister wants Direct Rule - that means Dublin rule - is that what people want?”