'Silence is complicity' according to ex-UUP member who slams party's 'polluted politics'
A former UUP member who quit after the resignation of Doug Beattie said while she respects Mike Nesbitt and wouldn’t say he is responsible for the former leader’s resignation, she believes that “silence is complicity”.
Just after Mike Nesbitt was confirmed as the new leader of the Ulster Unionists, Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston slammed the treatment of Mr Beattie – who she said had been attempting to turn around “the public opinion of a political party that has a century years’ worth of tainted and polluted politics”.
In a soundbite-laden interview, Ms Corr-Johnson also said that without fundamental reforms of the party Mr Nesbitt’s opportunity as leader would be reduced to “little more than cladding on a derelict building”.
Broadcaster-turned-politician Mike Nesbitt was confirmed as the new UUP leader late on Friday afternoon. He had pleaded with the party to stop washing its dirty linen in public in his opening remarks to journalists.
Within an hour, former election candidate Julie-Ann Corr-Johnston – who described herself as a Doug Beattie “fan girl” – was slamming the party on BBC Radio Ulster’s Evening Extra programme.
The former UUP candidate was heavily promoted by the party when she ran as its North Belfast Assembly candidate in 2022. The party opened an office on the Shore Road, paid for out of party funds, to support her and council candidates – none of whom were elected. Despite that effort she returned one of the party’s worst results and the office was subsequently closed.
Asked whether she held Mike Nesbitt responsible for Doug Beattie’s demise as leader, she said “I wouldn’t say that Mike is responsible but I do feel that there is a level, I mean silence is complicity. I have no doubt that those MLAs on the hill will give Doug their full support, but regrettably it came to a position where it was too late and Doug has resigned his position.
“I say that as a Beattie recruit and a Beattie fan girl. I have a lot of respect for Doug and all that he set out to achieve”.
Ms Corr-Johnston said she has “no doubt” that Mr Nesbitt will “pick that up”.
The party no longer has a functioning constituency group in North Belfast.