NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Trevor Ringland, has urged politicians to support the rule of law unequivocally, whoever it might be applied to.
“Where the police are bringing those who break the law to justice, they should be supported, without any ifs, buts or maybes”, Trevor commented. “The rule of law should apply to everyone and politicians should always welcome it being upheld, whatever the perceived background of lawbreakers.”
“If truth be told, it was the failure of the political parties in the executive to make real progress on issues around a shared future which created the circumstances around flag protests and disorder on our streets. There’s something profoundly dishonest about politicians pointing the finger of blame at the police, when they try to sort out the situation and restore normality.”
“We need parties across the board to get behind the forces of law and order wholeheartedly, without any reference to the perceived background of the people who have broken the law. That applies whether it is Sinn Féin and the SDLP opposing the introduction of measures to combat serious crime, or the DUP refusing to condemn law-breaking at loyalist parades. If parties stop referencing separate communities and instead concentrate on the whole community in Northern Ireland we can start to make progress.”