Northern Ireland Conservatives’ chairman, Irwin Armstrong, has reacted with disbelief to the first and deputy first ministers’ sudden proposal to get rid of a Stormont department. He described the abrupt nature of the plan as “a damning indictment of the way this carve-up executive does its business”.
“The issue here isn’t getting rid of an executive department” Irwin noted. “There are some very sound arguments that there are too many ministers at Stormont and if a careful review were conducted into the workings of the executive, it may well conclude that better government and services would result from fewer departments.”
“However this decision has clearly been rushed through completely oblivious to the goals of better government or to the consequences on services affected. Following the Hillsborough Agreement and the last Assembly elections Alliance is over-represented at the executive table, so the first and deputy first ministers plan simply to abolish the party’s ministry, whether that’s good for the people of Northern Ireland or not. The only consideration is expediency for the politicians at Stormont! The public will only get 7 days to have its say on vital structural changes to government.”
“How typical of this executive and the way it does business! We have party leaders chopping and changing ministers as they please, for entirely selfish reasons, while Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, like two generals in a military junta, can get rid of a whole department at the drop of a hat! Meanwhile the people of Northern Ireland are forced to live with the consequences of a system decided at the late-night whim of parties who care only about their own interests and don’t give a fig for good government. The executive parties may have talked over fish suppers at Stormont last night but the first ministers emerged with a right dog’s dinner.”