McCrea sets out his vision for UUP
ULSTER Unionist leadership contender Basil McCrea says he would put education at the heart of an "unashamedly pro-business" UUP, if elected.
Formally launching his campaign at Belfast's five-star Merchant Hotel, Mr McCrea said that just as that establishment was now a world leader, so he wanted to turn around the UUP.
He vowed to never enter electoral alliances with another party – in an implicit rejection of the party's current link with the Conservatives and the calls for a deal with the DUP.
In an attempt to turn the absence of senior UUP figures within his camp to his advantage, Mr McCrea claimed that rival Tom Elliott was "unquestionably the establishment choice".
But there was no reference at yesterday's launch to the increasingly acrimonious battle between both men, with Mr Elliott accusing Mr McCrea at the weekend of "low-down comments".
Given how many senior party figures are backing Mr Elliott there was much interest yesterday at who came out to support Mr McCrea.
Among those present were former British Lion and Irish rugby international Trevor Ringland, MLA John McCallister, Castlereagh alderman Michael Henderson, human rights activist Jeff Dudgeon, UCUNF candidates Paula Bradshaw and Lesley MacAulay, former party fundraiser Eddie Rea and businessman Mark Finlay.
Also present were former Ulster Farmers' Union president Graham Furey and agri-food entrepreneurs Martin Hamilton from Mash Direct and Denis Lynn from Finnebrogue Venison.
Mr McCrea set out a radical proposal to disband the entire party officer team, accusing the "cabal" who had presided over recent electoral debacles of treating the party's decision-making executive as a "side show".
"Effective discipline has become irrelevant. The personal agenda of mixed message being sent out by individuals has been allowed to take precedence over the wellbeing of the party."
In a blistering attack on the current party, he said: "Under my leadership, however hard it may be for some to digest, my pledge is that the era of generating conflict for personal gain will come to an abrupt end.
"The cabal of cronies that believe they have some sort of divine right to treat the executive of our party as an irrelevant side show will no longer be tolerated.
"There will be firm direction. There will be fair and open leadership accountability."
Mr McCrea also pledged to personally not enter the Stormont executive unless as first minister.
And the party's education spokesman said that if elected he would attempt to secure the education ministry by making it his first choice when departments are allocated according to party strength.
However, to do so the UUP would either have to emerge as the largest party at next year's election or Sinn Fein would have to pass up on the education portfolio when the ministries are handed out.
Asked about that yesterday, Mr McCrea claimed he was confident that the UUP would be the largest party.
Stressing the need for government to remove "red-tape and bureaucracy" from the private sector, Mr McCrea added: "There's much that's wrong with procurement. I want to remove the dead hand of the civil service from the entrepreneurs of this country.
See Liam Clarke, page 15
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Monday 13 February 2012
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