DUP councillor in ‘stitch-up’ claim
BELFAST DUP city councillor David Rodway — deselected in favour of the city’s Orange Grand Master Tom Haire for the May 5 council elections — has claimed his rejection may be something to do with the fact that he is agnostic.
Mr Rodway (Victoria Ward in East Belfast) was dumped at last week’s selection meetings and is so angry that he may move across to the Ulster Unionists.
He said: “I have had talks with UUP leader Tom Elliott and I will make up my mind in the near future.”
Mr Rodway was the only Belfast council member jettisoned at the selection meetings, although Lord Wallace Browne (also Victoria Ward) has decided not to run for council due to his House of Lords and Northern Ireland Assembly commitments.
Mr Rodway — a Cornish man who was first elected in 2005 — said he was “stitched up” by a small group within the party “with a narrow view of politics and religion”.
“It’s a great pity from the party’s point of view. Peter Robinson has widened the appeal and the whole vision of DUP. I am extremely upset, fed up and hurt by what has happened.”
Mr Rodway, 65, is a retired director of an aquaculture farm on Carlingford Lough and the 2005 election was his first sortie into politics. He was the last of seven members elected in Victoria, having been swept home by the surplus votes of DUP colleagues Wallace Browne and Robin Newton.
Lord Browne is chairman of the East Belfast branch of DUP and Mr Newton is chairman of the local DUP association. Mr Newton was selected, along with Tom Haire and newcomer John Hussey. And the selection was ratified by the party central executive on Saturday.
Mr Rodway said: “Of all the things I have done in my life, being a Belfast councillor is the most satisfying.
“I served on various committees and sub-committees, have made many friends and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.”
UUP leader Tom Elliott confirmed he had spoken with the DUP man and would welcome him into the party.
“But he has said he will wait probably until after the election before deciding and I respect that,” Mr Elliott added.
The DUP are refusing to comment, with a spokesman saying the selection process was not yet completed and no statements would be forthcoming until it was all tied up. But a highly-placed source said that religion played little part in selections.
Mr Haire said he was honoured to have been chosen and was confident that three DUP members would be elected in Victoria. “The selections were made democratically in line with party rules,” he said.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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