Furious row over Cameron remarks
A FURIOUS row has erupted over comments made by Tory leader David Cameron about the public sector in Northern Ireland.
In a BBC interview with Jeremy Paxman, Mr Cameron accepted that he had previously said that in parts of the UK "the state accounts for a bigger share of the economy than it did in the communist countries in the old eastern bloc" of communist Europe.
The interview, screened across the UK, caused a stir in Northern Ireland, with Mr Cameron's political rivals – particularly the DUP – lashing out at him.
The full transcript of what David Cameron said
First Minister Peter Robinson accused him of showing "his true colours".
"The man who the Ulster Unionists said would stand up for the Union is picking on Ulster for additional cuts in services and jobs," he said.
But the Tory-UUP coalition hit back by supplying a list of past comments from other politicians, including Mr Robinson and DUP finance minister Sammy Wilson, calling for less reliance on the public sector and more on private.
In his interview, Mr Cameron did not specify anything about Tory cuts in Northern Ireland.
When Mr Paxman asked which parts of the UK he was likening to communist Europe, Mr Cameron said: "Well the first one I think I would pick out is Northern Ireland."
Stepping up the DUP attack, Mr Robinson said: "Let's be clear, there is only one part of the Tory policy that is definite – early cuts – and on Friday David Cameron made it clear those cuts would be targeted at Northern Ireland and the north east of England.
"David Cameron has made it clear that whether it be northern England or Northern Ireland his priorities lie elsewhere.
"Cameron's cuts comments prove that the so-called special relationship between the Ulster Unionists and Conservatives offers nothing but pain for Ulster."
Yet in last week's UTV debate of political leaders, Mr Robinson said that voters should give a "wide berth" to any politicians who say that the country can go through the next four to five years without having to face up to hard decisions.
Yesterday he said that "no sensible person" would dispute that there needed to be even and fair spending cuts across the UK.
However, he continued, there were "two major dangers" in the Tory-UUP financial policy for the Province.
"They intend to inflict a mid-year cut of 200 million in our budget which will cost jobs and cut services," he said.
This was on top of the three per cent efficiency already included in this year's budget for Northern Ireland, the First Minister added, and could only be carried out "by slashing jobs and services".
Second, Mr Robinson said, the Tory-UUP alliance had announced their intention to single out Northern Ireland for yet further cuts over and above those they will impose elsewhere in the UK.
It was based on inaccurate information, he said.
"The public sector in Northern Ireland as a percentage of population is of a similar size to elsewhere in the United Kingdom," he said.
"It is our private sector which is too small and needs support to grow. This means we need more public funding to grow our private sector economy - not less."
Yet the Conservatives and Unionists rolled out a list of comments made by politicians including Mr Robinson that the public sector was too large.
Among them, Mr Robinson said in 2006 that "there is no doubt that the Northern Ireland economy is over reliant on the public sector".
The Ulster Unionists and Tories both emphasised that Mr Cameron was seeking to boost the private sector, rather than slash the public - something the Tory leader himself emphasised in the Paxman interview.
'We must grow Northern Ireland's private sector'
Tory shadow foreign secretary William Hague says that "to see jobs, investment and opportunity for the people of Northern Ireland, we must grow the private sector".
UUP deputy leader Danny Kennedy said: "David Cameron has set an ambitious goal for a Conservative and Unionist government - to see the economies of Northern Ireland and other regions, such as the north east of England, flourishing as the private sector grows."
But the public sector union Nipsa joined the attack on Mr Cameron.
Nipsa general secretary Brian Campfield said: "Here we have the clearest example yet of the threat to our public services and from someone who can afford to rely on private health and education.
"David Cameron has no understanding of the vital role played by public services provision in maintaining a decent and fair society in Northern Ireland."
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Monday 28 May 2012
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