Reg Empey blasts the DUP for its 'lies' over its years of contacts with Sinn Fein, while Ian Paisley was attacking David Trimble for sharing power with them
The DUP committed a “monstrous deception” of unionist voters by lambasting Ulster Unionists over public talks with Sinn Fein – while key figures met republicans in secret, Lord Empey has said.
Recently released government files have corroborated previous claims that senior members of the party were engaged in secret meetings with their future partners in government, while then leader Ian Paisley was publicly demanding “sackcloth and ashes” from republicans.
The Ulster Unionist Party, and its leader David Trimble, faced ferocious criticism from the DUP for talking to, and then sharing power with Sinn Fein.
The DUP has reiterated its position that “some individual members of the party” accepted invites to confidential meetings to see whether an agreement could be reached – but the party did not “authorise” meetings before 2007.
The Belfast Telegraph reported last week that government archives at Kew confirm previous claims from the Rev Harold Good that the DUP was meeting Sinn Fein in secret in 2004.
Lord Empey asks: “Are we to believe that leading members of that party, including MPs were all acting alone and unknown to each other for at least 5 years? Of course not”