'TUV opposed to terrorists in government'
JIM Allister argues that it is not a question of him rejecting Sinn Fein's democratic mandate by refusing to enter Government with them, but rather rejecting the "absolute absurdity" of mandatory coalition whereby they are guaranteed power.
"By law, you are prohibited from voting a party out of Government and by law you are prohibited from having an opposition.
"That system has to go. With the going of that system, goes the right of any party automatically to be in Government.
"That introduces what should exist – normal politics; that no party in this country is big enough to form a Government on their own so it has to be a coalition – I'm not opposed to shared Government; I'm not opposed to cross-community Government; I'm implacably opposed to terrorists in Government."
And, Mr Allister argues, the current Stormont impasse on key issues such as education is largely because the DUP's broadly right-wing political outlook cannot be reconciled with Sinn Fein's Marxist ideology on socio-economic issues.
"It's so unnatural to have the conflicting forces that we have in Government pulling in opposite directions and little wonder that this has been a miserable, useless Government unable to produce anything tangible for the people of Northern Ireland."
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
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Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
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