Debate contribution: Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Debate contribution by Mrs Cathy Mason on .
- MLA
- Mrs Cathy Mason
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 12 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5786760
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The people of the Garvaghy Road have been retraumatised: forced, 28 years on, back to a place of fear, pain and uncertainty that they thought they would never face again. That pain has reached far beyond their community, reopening wounds across the North, across Ireland and resonating with people across the world. Now that the sectarian parade has, rightly, been stopped and the residents of the Garvaghy Road have finally been heard, what does political unionism do next? It is so clearly on the wrong side of the issue that all that it can do is turn around and attack some of those who stood with that community. Political unionism is now in such a tailspin that it does not know where it is going or who exactly is calling the shots. Is Gavin Robinson leading the DUP, or is the DUP following whomever shouts the loudest that day and allowing the likes of Jamie Bryson to dictate its political agenda? It is clear for all to see that these motions are political panic dressed up as concern for the rule of law. If you were being honest, you would say that that is exactly what they are: a distraction because Michelle O'Neill is showing the leadership for all that none of you can. You cannot demand respect for institutions while undermining them when the politics do not suit you; you cannot demand accountability from everyone else but resist it when it reaches your own Ministers; and you cannot take the rule of law off the shelf when it suits you and then put it away when it becomes inconvenient. Your Ministers were found by the High Court to have acted unlawfully. Where was the outrage then? Now, we have Gavin Robinson's bare-faced hypocrisy, pronouncing judgement on others while police investigate a protest that he attended. He has offered his explanation, yet he expects his allegations against our Ministers to be treated as a verdict. Please spare us your selective outrage and the holier-than-thou lectures. If the DUP wants to talk about accountability, let it start with its own record. Let us be crystal clear about Michelle O'Neill's leadership. Her leadership for everyone does not mean that nationalists must accept that their concerns count for less. Reconciliation cannot mean staying silent when a community's rights are under threat and being trodden on. Michelle O'Neill has shown the confidence to reach across traditions. Respecting identity means doing so for all of our traditions and supporting vulnerable communities that need our support. To those on the Benches across the way, hear this loud and clear: nationalists do not need the DUP's permission to be treated as equal citizens. We demand the same rights, dignity and respect for everyone. While political unionism continues to tie itself in knots, people out there are light years ahead of it. They want progress and a better future for their children and grandchildren. They will not thank you for reopening those old wounds. Sinn Féin stood shoulder to shoulder with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. We were proud to do so, and we make no apology for that. You can table your motions and gulder from your Benches, but you will not bully us into silence. There will be no return to the days of the past or second-class citizenship for anyone. There is no going back.
561 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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