Alliance MLA says 'ex-combatants' remark was drawn from academic research - after UUP man criticises 'loose language'
Paula Bradshaw has defended her use of the term ‘ex-combatants’ in an interview about paramilitary memorials – saying she took it from a “collective noun” cited in “academic research”.
The Alliance MLA had been criticised for her use of the term by UUP MLA Jon Burrows – who said it was “straight out of the Sinn Féin handbook”.
Ms Bradshaw used the phrase when discussing a proposal from her party to “reimage” memorials on public land across Northern Ireland – in a bid to stop the marking of territory and the glorification of terrorism.
However, Mr Burrows said people who maimed and murdered, loyalist and republican alike, “were not ex-combatants, they were terrorists”.
He added: “Language is important, it sends to both innocent victims and perpetrators a signal that there is a moral certainty that terrorism is wrong and was wrong. Alliance have claimed foul when it’s been pointed out their language on perpetrators and victims is morally confused, but they continue to provide evidence that it is.”
The Alliance Party did not respond to questions from the News Letter on the matter. However, Paula Bradshaw interjected during a speech by Mr Burrows on her party’s proposals for memorials in Stormont.
The North Antrim MLA has said “I don’t use the language of ex-combatants – they were terrorists”. He also criticised “loose language”.
The Alliance MLA rose to her feet to say: “Not for the first time in this chamber you’ve demonstrated that you don’t do detail. If you had looked at any of the academic research into memorials, you would know that the word ‘combatants’ is used as a collective noun – and it was from that place that I took it.
“This has been a very respectful debate… but as usual, you’ve tried to use it for political point scoring, and you should be ashamed of yourself”.
The Alliance motion on memorials seeks to remove “paramilitary imagery and emblems and references to acts of violence or events that caused pain and misery”. It called on the Executive Office to develop guidance to ensure that future memorials “expressly require planning permission and are displayed in accordance with agreed standards”.
Ms Bradshaw told the BBC on Sunday that her party would not “inflict or enforce this on any community at all” – but said there have been successful schemes to rebrand murals.