Debate contribution: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers

Debate contribution by Mr Doug Beattie MC on 13 May 2022.

MLA: Mr Doug Beattie MC
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 13 May 2022
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Speaker's Business
Heading: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4139969

Text

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Silence. That is the silence that we were subjected to for three years when Sinn Féin walked out and the silence that we will now be subjected to if the DUP does not support a Speaker. People will go cold and hungry in their home, and, from this place, there will be silence. People will die on waiting lists, and, from this House, there will be silence. People will be desperately calling for an ambulance, and, from this place, there will be silence. Our children will go to school hungry and will not be able to afford uniforms, and, from this House, there will be silence. The only thing that will be a constant after today will be silence from us. The rest of the people will be screaming for help, and we will be silent. Today, we can at least do something: we can elect a Speaker. That would allow us to do part of the business that we can and to move within the budgets that we have. If we elect a Speaker, we can do something to end the silence without compromising the DUP's position on the protocol, which is an issue. If we do not, there will be silence. That uncomfortable silence that you all felt when I first stood up is what you will feel from this moment on as the people of this country stare at us and we give them nothing. We can elect a Speaker, and I have nominated a Speaker. He is a man of integrity, a man of compassion and a man who can reach every corner of the Assembly. You know him, and he is somebody whom you can speak to with honesty and somebody who can reach out beyond the Assembly: Mike Nesbitt. He also acted as a victims' commissioner, so he knows the heartache that is out there. Today, we can not only make the point that we need to make about the protocol but elect a Speaker in order to do some business so that we do not have silence. Otherwise, we will walk out of here, and the moment will be lost. We cannot allow that. Nobody here can allow that. Individually, you cannot allow that. Moral courage will tell you not to allow that. In nominating Mike Nesbitt, I understand the limitations of what we can do, but I also understand that it is the right thing to do so that we can at least help, in part, the people who need our help.

424 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Awaiting analysis

This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification