Conservatives have attacked the UUP Leader accusing him of being absent minded at best.
"The UUP seem to want us to believe that the failings of this Executive have nothing to do with them as they left the Executive a few months ago, "said Alan Dunlop, Conservative candidate for Foyle. "Northern Ireland has the worst waiting lists in the UK and the UUP want to blame the DUP for this, however, they cannot escape the fact that they have been an integral part of the failing Executive for years. Indeed, with regard to the health service, many would argue that the current crisis is in large part due the the failures of previous Ministers such as Michael McGimpsey." Mr Dunlop went on criticise both the main Unionist parties. "The truth is that with their pantomine politics of blame serving merely to drive turnout down it is a fact that the biggest threat to the Union is from the DUP and UUP. Their determination to keep NI politics locked into the politics of Orange and Green and to ensure that politics in NI continues to be alien to our fellow citizens in England, Scoltand and Wales gives the game away. They dont want NI to become a normal society as it will threaten the positions of power."