Debate contribution: Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- 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 5786836
Read the official Assembly record
Text
What we are here to discuss today is incredibly important. There are people out there listening to the debate, and they have heard, quite frankly, quite a bit of silliness and silly behaviour across the Chamber. We have seen smirks, and we have heard jibes. I genuinely believe that Members on the Benches opposite need to get a grip if they do not understand the anger out there about their behaviour. People are furious. They feel let down. They feel disgusted. Those are things that people from across the community have said to me because of your behaviour. We must never underestimate the importance of ensuring the continued confidence of the people whom we serve: confidence in these institutions and in the roles that we should be honoured to hold, confidence in democracy and confidence that the safeguards and mechanisms that we have actually work. That is why it is incredibly important to be here having the debate today, because it is part of the mechanism to hold people to account. Here is the reality. We have heard from the Benches opposite about people not being lawyers or experts. I am a barrister, and I will tell you this: you do not have to be a barrister to answer a couple of simple questions. Is it legal for people in Northern Ireland to block a road?
Did they block a road?
The people of Northern Ireland understand that absolutely clearly, and they are appalled by that behaviour. I appeal to those on the Benches opposite, as I said, to get a grip and realise that you have done damage to the institutions and to the ministerial roles that you should feel privileged to hold. The confidence of the people of Northern Ireland has been shattered, and we are here today to hold those responsible to account. I am deeply disappointed that the First Minister is not in her place for this contribution and by the contempt, arrogance, disregard and recklessness that has been shown. Let us be clear. We have heard an awful lot about parading and about the past from the opposite Benches. That is a little surreal, because, while we heard Members say that there is "No going back", we heard them referencing the 1920s. We have been lectured about the violence of others by an IRA member who was imprisoned for his crimes against the people of Northern Ireland. This is the thing: people are fully entitled to take a view on an issue. The Members and Ministers of this institution can, of course, take up arguments on behalf of their constituents. We can register dismay, anger and disagreement and can even join in a lawful protest, but we cannot pick and choose which laws and judgements of the court apply and which do not. A democratic society simply cannot survive without the rule of law. It is the very foundation on which freedom, democracy, equality and peaceful coexistence depend. We may not always agree with the laws that are passed or with the judgements of the court, but we cannot simply replace those with laws of our own. That would inevitably lead to the breakdown of our society and of fairness and order. You know that; we all know that. Yet, we have heard distraction today away from the substance of the issue, which is not why we are here. It is because of the unlawful and absolutely appalling behaviour of people who hold ministerial posts including, indeed, the post of First Minister. It is so basic and so fundamental. How much worse is it that the person who should be leading by example — someone who is a lawmaker — is the person at the heart of that behaviour? That is why so many people are deeply appalled. Sinn Féin needs to get real about the anger out there. People need to see that the democratic mechanisms of holding people to account work. If people do not feel that that is the case, that has consequences. Those on the Benches opposite should understand that and realise it. This was a time for leadership. It was about standing together to send a message of calm heads and calling people to get off the streets. Yes, register a lawful protest if you so wish, but, instead, the First Minister called people on to the streets. I want to make it absolutely clear that no one on these Benches was referring to the people of the Garvaghy Road as "the mob". The mob that was referred to was the gather-up of Provos, ex-prisoners, dissidents, republican activists and Sinn Féiners from every part of this island, all led by the First Minister and her Ministers. The message was clear. The only people who were threatening violence and disorder were those who were defying the law. It was not just the Portadown Orangemen that you were defying; it was the decision of the Parades Commission and the decision of the Court of Appeal.
You were unlawfully preventing the PSNI from implementing that order, defying the law of the land, the human rights and civil liberties of others, and you wish to get away with it.
This is a time for people to stand together. I am going to call out in particular the Alliance Party, which sat on the fence all week to only now not back this motion — a motion that is about the mechanisms of this place, democracy, and holding people to account for their actual actions.
Absolutely. She should be in her place. I represent Lagan Valley, and we have an Alliance MP, who has stayed silent on all these issues. I have spoken to hundreds of people across my constituency who are appalled. The Pledge of Office refers to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and to behave in a way that upholds "the highest standards of propriety":
"to uphold the rule of law based as it is on the fundamental principles of fairness, impartiality and democratic accountability".
— and —
"to support the rule of law unequivocally in word and deed and to support all efforts to uphold it".
This is very simple: no community, politician or protester is above the law. The integrity of this place and the confidence in its institutions rise and fall on the law being applied fairly, equally and without fear or favour. There is one standard. We are all equal under the law, and are equally subject to the law, so this is my message to Michelle O'Neill: you are not above the law. You are not immune to the consequences of your action. You have let down the people of Northern Ireland by your behaviour, and that is why I, my party and so many across Northern Ireland have no confidence in you. I will be supporting the motion.
1,142 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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