Letter: Stormont takes no long term decisions and just seems to get bailout after bailout and hold out a begging bowl to London.

I totally agree with Ben Lowry's analysis regarding a functioning Stormont (‘If Stormont took hard decisions Northern Ireland could have had better airport provision and road links,’ December 30).

To date no decisions have been taken on any projects which would lead to long term benefits for the NI economy. We just seem to get bailout after bailout and now appear to be good at holding out a begging bowl to London.

The only decisions taken to date are chiefly to raise personal support for the individual minister or their party with the intention of being electable at the next election. On many occasions the potential hard decisions are kicked down the road as it may be someone else's problem at a later stage.

A great example of our MLAs pandering for votes was the Climate Change Bill. The professional advice from the international experts was discarded and personal idiotic thoughts took over, with the result was that unobtainable targets were enshrined in the Climate Change Act.

Some of those clambering for their return to Stormont cite the health service waiting lists and the lack of public services as good reason to be there, but what expertise do they have in running viable private businesses? We all know they are advised by the senior civil servants who are still currently in place.

So yes, my heart tells me we should have a functioning NI Assembly, but unfortunately my head tells me something else based on its performance over the last 20 years.

Ian Buchanan, Dungiven