Sammy Wilson: I refused to be corralled into the arrant nonsense of unconscious bias training

I would urge the Northern Ireland executive to follow Westminster’s lead and stop the squander of public money on cash grabbing consultants and unconscious bias training in the civil service, writes SAMMY WILSON.
The House of Commons encouraged MPs to take unconscious bias training but Sammy Wilson is glad that others joined with him in refusing to take partThe House of Commons encouraged MPs to take unconscious bias training but Sammy Wilson is glad that others joined with him in refusing to take part
The House of Commons encouraged MPs to take unconscious bias training but Sammy Wilson is glad that others joined with him in refusing to take part

The News Letter has revealed that the Department of Finance had spent £29,000 since 2016 training civil service staff on unconscious bias (‘News Letter learns of £29,000 spending on anti-bias training for civil servants,’ Dec 14).

If ever there was an example of an unnecessary abuse of public money this is it.

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The Conservative government have caught on to the scam and it is time that the Stormont executive followed suit.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

This training is designed to prove that all white people are either open or closet racists, a fact even the most casual observer would agree is arrant nonsense.

The House of Commons had encouraged all MPs to engage in this charade and I am glad that many joined with me in refusing to be corralled into participating.

It is significant that the Sinn Fein finance minister tried to block this information from being released.

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Even more hypocritical is the fact that he is the only minister in executive history to have been found guilty of employment discrimination — a case which cost his department over £100,000.

There are plenty of examples to show that Sinn Fein’s bias is far from being unconscious.

In fact, they parade it every day by the contempt they show for victims, unionists and their own party members who dissent from party policy.

Sammy Wilson, DUP MP, East Antrim

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