DUP and SF must deliver progress

As a business man facing the difficulties of deciding on expansion or retraction, the uncertainty of our parlous assembly, the Brexit ramifications, and the growing insularity of Trump's USA surely we need less gratuitously offensive language and behaviour from those elected to lead us to a better place.

It must be obvious to those of unionist and nationalist/republican leaning that a half baked assembly, underperforming, cash draining, polarised province is of no benefit to either the UK or the republic of Ireland.

So the dreams of both sections are not progressed by the stances taken by local political negatives.

The changes at the top of DUP and Sinn Fein leadership did give me some hope, but they must move away from the old mantras and the old way of being publicly offensive to each other.

Good negotiators do not insult or force their opponent into corners from which they cannot escape with integrity.

Good leaders will take people to places where they thought they would be very uncomfortable, but which were right for the whole community.

It is easy to play the political game of making undeliverable demands.

Why not get down to spending our money wisely, root out corruption and cronyism and maybe even set out on the visionary path to save £1 billion every year by reducing separation and division and thus giving our young people a real chance of making a good life for themselves.

DUP and SF must start delivering progress.

That requires competence, courage and stamina.

Have they got it?

Tom Ekin, Belfast