Move by NI Tories is not a ‘step back’
ALEX Kane has spent the past year predicting wrongly almost every development for the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland and, true to form, his latest analysis is riddled with factual inaccuracies and misinterpretations.
The ‘Conservative and Unionist’ name is not new, nor has it been readopted. The Conservative and Unionist Party is the official title of the Conservative Party across the UK. The Conservatives in Northern Ireland have always been registered with the local Electoral Commission under this name.
The new development, as outlined by the press release issued by Lord Feldman, is that the party here will be recognised as an entity in its own right, i.e. the Conservative and Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, under the party constitution.
Previously the constitution did not recognise the local party as a separate entity and it was treated in the same way as an area association in England, with David Cameron as its leader.
This distinction is certainly not a ‘step back’ from the UK-wide Conservative Party.
On the contrary, the new plan reflects the fact that Northern Ireland politics are devolved; it provides Conservatives here with autonomy on devolved issues, increases the influence of the local party nationally - by giving it, for the first time, a seat at the party board - and puts the party in Northern Ireland on the same footing as the parties in Scotland and Wales.
It is very silly to attempt to spin an unparalleled commitment from the party centrally as a ‘step back’ when it is clearly quite the opposite.
Local members instigated the changes which are now taking place. The latest Conservative development here is part of a long term strategy and investment over a number of years to develop national politics here.
Our new party is unambiguously Conservative and, despite Mr Kane’s protestations, it always has been.
It is enthusiastically supported by the Conservative Party leadership and it has considerable influence at the highest levels of the national party. It is also now unambiguously Northern Irish, with local voices offering a fresh, centre-right approach to local issues.
We think that that is something new and exciting and we’re confident voters will agree.
Irwin Armstrong
Chairman, Northern Ireland Conservatives
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
s magowan
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 09:43 PMLets face it Cameron tried it at the last election with his pact with the UUP and that failed to win support with the electorate here.Conervatives? too many 'Tim nice but Dim' types in their party.
ardens
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 09:00 AMNI Tories can never be an inclusive party as one of their candidates in Scotland has been suspended for opposition to the teaching of homosexuality in primary schools. Cameron proposes gay marriages. How do they think these policies will go down in Northern Ireland?
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.