'Nationalist/Alliance coalition wants to over-ride unionists by simple majority' says DUP MLA amid petition of concern row
A DUP MLA has said the Alliance, Sinn Fein and SDLP bloc wants to use its simple majority vote to push through new laws in a way they would never have accepted from unionists.
Meanwhile UUP leader Jon Burrows has denied that any political deal was done with the DUP when it comes to signing a petition of concern.
It all stems from a debate on Monday night, and is continuing tonight, about plans to raise the age of criminal responsibility from its current threshold of 10.
This was proposed by way of an amendment to the Alliance’s Justice Bill which is now making its way through the Stormont Assembly, and is backed by Sinn Fein and the SDLP.
Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland is seeking to add a bit on to the bill which would lift the age of criminal culpability to 14, except in cases of murder, manslaughter and rape when it would be 12.
The DUP tabled a petition of concern on the subject, and it was signed by TUV MLA Timothy Gaston and four UUP MLAs – Mr Burrows, Diane Armstrong, Alan Chambers and Robbie Butler.
A petition of concern requires 30 names, and means that a vote can only pass if a majority of both unionists and nationalists are in favour of it. It also means it now cannot be voted until June 29.
SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said that this manoeuvre was an “absolute disgrace”, because the law in question has “nothing to do with the constitution or with identity” – the matters for which the petition was originally envisaged.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said using the petition “was all right when it suited you”, while DUP education minister Paul Givan said: “I remind the SDLP that you signed a petition of concern to prevent the sanctioning of Gerry Kelly by the Standards and Privileges Committee when he climbed on the bonnet of a police vehicle.
"You and your party signed the petition of concern to prevent that.
"We will not be lectured by the SDLP or others on the petition of concern.”
And today, after the debate, Mr Givan said: “The intention is to have a cross-community, powersharing executive and assembly that operates on consensus.
"That was good enough whenever unionists were in the majority but now, whenever we have a Sinn Fein/SDLP/Alliance coalition, they’re the majority of parties, they would be able to vote through everything on simple majority votes.”
He added: “I think some parties have had convulsions about the fact that the Belfast Agreement has been operated in the way in which it has been intended, but the DUP will always operate on the basis of what is best for the victim.”
During the debate which went on late into Monday night, Mr Burrows had said that “if the amendment that is co-signed by the Alliance Party, Sinn Fein and the SDLP were to pass, [if] a 10-year-old... were to abduct, torture and murder someone, as was done to Jamie Bulger, the police could not even arrest them, seize their clothes, subject them to forensic evidence”.
James Bulger was aged two when he was killed by two 10-year-olds in 1993.
As to the petition of concern to halt the law change, Alliance’s Eoin Tennyson accused Mr Burrows of having done a “grubby deal” with the DUP and his own party members to make it happen, asking: “Is the DUP promising a unity candidate in Lagan Valley?”
Mr Burrows called this accusation “shameful”.
Asked by the News Letter about why some UUP MLAs had not signed the petition of concern, a party source said Mike Nesbitt had a conscience issue with the use of the petition, Steve Aiken was chairing the debate so could not take part, and John Stewart was not at Stormont yesterday.
It is unclear why Andy Allen did not sign.
As to whether it he sees it as a challenge to his authority that only three of his seven other MLAs signed, Mr Burrows said today: “No, I don’t. I have the broad support of the party – the membership, the councillors, I’ve very strong support in the party.” He had attained the numbers he needed, he said.
Mr Burrows also said: “I haven’t had a discussion about electoral pacts once, I haven’t met Gavin Robinson about electoral pacts, I’ve not made any deals with anybody.
“I stand on my principles in politics, this was a decision made about public safety...
“I said at the very outset, I’m prepared to talk to any unionist about how we can maximise the unionist vote, but you use the word pacts, I’m simply using the word co-operation.
“But let me set out my ambition, my ambition is that the Ulster Unionist Party is the single biggest party in unionism once again.
"I’m here to replace the DUP, not to do pacts with them, but I will co-operate because the pro-union people want more unionists back in this place.”
When the matter came back for debate tonight in the Assembly, Paul Givan came under fire from Sinn Fein because he is “supposed to protect children… and he’s doing quite the opposite” by opposing the raising of the age.
Mr Givan replied: “I’m not going to be lectured by anybody in Sinn Fein.
"You had a Sinn Fein education minister who was a self-confessed commander of the IRA.
"Let’s get real… Sinn Fein can sit this one out – sit it out.
"You’ve no integrity when it comes to talking about childrens’ rights, when it comes to what the republican movement engaged in.”
The debate continues at time of writing.