FULL SPEECH: Trio of assassination plots against Dodds recalled as DUP peer gives maiden address

Lord Dodds of Duncairn is the title he had chosen for himself, and during Tuesday afternoon he rose to address fellow peers in the upper house of the UK Parliament.

As previously noted in the News Letter, his arrival in the house makes the DUP the fourth biggest party in the chamber.

This is largely a quirk of the nature of appointments to the Lords, with members drawn almost wholly from Labour and the Conservatives.

Former MP Nigel Dodds enters Lords, consolidating DUP as fourth biggest party in...

“First, in the council, then in the Northern Ireland Assembly and, for over 18 years, in the other place [the House of Commons].”

His speech ranged over Brexit, the need for a working Belfast government, and the UK’s place in NATO.

He also spoke of the legacy of paramilitarism in the Province, telling fellow lords: “The many innocent victims of terrorism still deserve to see justice, proper compensation and an end to those who glorify terrorism which, sadly, still happens all too often in Northern Ireland.

“Continued attempts to make terrorists the equivalent of our gallant security forces must always be resisted.”

GUN ATTACK AT CHILDREN’ HOSPITAL:

Following his address, fellow DUP peer Lord Browne rose to his feet and said that Lord Dodds had given too “modest” an account of himself.

He noted that he studied law at Cambridge, and was legal adviser to the secretariat of the European Parliament, among other roles.

He also said: “My noble friend always sought to represent all his constituents, whatever their political persuasion.

“When it is remembered that, on at least three occasions, attempts were made to take his life by political opponents who regarded violence as an acceptable weapon, his adherence to this principle is all the more laudable.”

He did not give details of the plots.

But among the known attacks was one in 1996, when the IRA opened fire in the children’s wing of Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital while Mr Dodds was visiting his son.

A detective guarding Mr Dodds was shot in the attack.

The Irish Times noted that the attack took place four days before Christmas, reporting: “The attack occurred at around 8.15 pm while Mr Dodds and his wife were visiting their critically ill seven-year-old son, Andrew, in an intensive care unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital on the Falls Road.

“The RUC men were in a corridor outside...

“The officers noticed two men approaching who appeared to be wearing wigs. When they challenged them, one man produced a gun and fired four shots, hitting one officer in the foot.

“Another shot hit an empty incubator in the intensive care unit. The gunmen then escaped towards the Falls Road exit of the hospital.

“The RUC said no shots were returned.”

The paper added: “It has been widely known in political circles that Mr Dodds’s son, who suffers from spina bifida and hydrocephalus, has been a patient in the hospital for the past six weeks.

“Police bodyguards have accompanied Mr Dodds and his wife on their regular visits.”

There was also a 2003 effort to blow up Lord Dodds’ Shore Road constituency office in north Belfast, attributed to the CIRA.

Separately, he was also hurt by a flying object in a 2013 street disturbance at a north Belfast interface.

THE FULL ADDRESS:

Lord Dodds’ full speech to the Lords is as follows: “My Lords, it is a great honour indeed to make my first contribution in your Lordships’ House and to follow my noble friend Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton in this important debate.

“I thank all noble Lords for the warm welcome I have received in recent days.

“In particular, I thank Black Rod, the Clerk of the Parliaments and the doorkeepers, who have been so helpful, kind and patient, as well as all the administrative staff and the ever-cheerful catering and cleaning staff who look after us so well, especially in the present circumstances.

“I am also grateful to the two supporters at my introduction. I have known the noble Lord, Lord Morrow, of Clogher Valley, since I first got involved in politics, growing up in the beautiful county of Fermanagh.

“With the noble Lord, Lord Browne of Belmont, I was elected to Belfast City Council in 1985 — the first elected office for either of us.

“Like him, I have had the singular honour to serve as lord mayor of that great city and, although a Londonderry man by birth, Belfast has been my political home for many decades.

“The territorial designation in the title I have taken, Duncairn, references the historic electoral area in the heart of the North Belfast constituency, which I have had the honour to represent for some 35 years altogether — first, in the council, then in the Northern Ireland Assembly and, for over 18 years, in the other place.

“As I return to Westminster, much has changed given the current pandemic, but Brexit negotiations still loom large.

“I reiterate my sincere message, which I have expounded since the referendum, that the Government have a solemn duty to deliver Brexit—they have now done that—but in a way that safeguards the union.

“That is their overriding responsibility, above everything else. In our deliberations, it is important to remember that the protection of the peace and political process in Northern Ireland is about recognising and defending unionist, as well as nationalist, concerns and interests.

“That is something that, at times, is missing from some of the debates, particularly on Brexit.

“I hope to continue, in accordance with the traditions and conventions of your Lordships’ House, to champion the union, to work to strengthen this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and, as we approach the centenary of Northern Ireland next year, to find ways to build on the progress we have made in Northern Ireland in recent years.

“While there are many challenges, it is important to acknowledge the vital everyday work of government in Northern Ireland, which helps to deliver a better future for all our people.

“Devolved government in Northern Ireland is not always easy, as we have seen recently, but it is vital, and it is vital that we continue to move Northern Ireland forward.

“In doing so, it is important that no one is left behind. The many innocent victims of terrorism still deserve to see justice, proper compensation and an end to those who glorify terrorism which, sadly, still happens all too often in Northern Ireland.

“Continued attempts to make terrorists the equivalent of our gallant security forces must always be resisted.

“Time is too short today to outline the many domestic policy areas that I passionately believe need more attention, but I will mention two in particular. My own family experience drives my determination that everything possible is done to increase awareness and understanding of people with disabilities.

“My experience representing north Belfast and the wonderful people of that area has shown me how our vulnerable children and their families need support and intervention from an early age, with education at the heart of growing communities.

“I strongly believe that our defence and security institutions must be properly resourced and supported to defend us in this increasingly dangerous and unpredictable world.

“As a member for almost 10 years of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, along with the noble Lord, Lord Campbell, who is with us today in this Chamber, I believe more than ever in the crucial importance of a strong United Kingdom at the heart of a strong transatlantic alliance.

“The regulations before your Lordships this afternoon will ensure the smooth regulation of defence and security public contracts at the end of the transition period.

“They are another piece of the complex jigsaw of legislation preparing the way for life after Brexit and as such I am happy to give them my full support.”