Debate contribution: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers

Debate contribution by Mr Edwin Poots on 7 December 2022.

MLA: Mr Edwin Poots
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 7 December 2022
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Assembly Business
Heading: Election of Speaker and Deputy Speakers
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4178694

Text

I need to deal with the issues first. He referred to the Budget that he produced. No party supported that Budget. The Alliance Party did not support it, because it did not cover policing and prisons. Infrastructure did not support it, because it would not allow it to do the basics of what had to be done. Education did not support it, because it did not provide what is statutorily necessary for special educational needs. In that Budget, Sinn Féin did not care about young people with special educational needs, because it did not provide for them. We, therefore, had a Budget that was not supported by any other party in the Executive at that point. Ms Armstrong suggested that, if we just get the Assembly back, that £600 will go out. That is entirely disingenuous.
Thank you for clarifying that that is not a point of order. It was entirely disingenuous for Ms Kelly to suggest that the Assembly —
Sorry — Ms Armstrong. My apologies. That the Assembly could, in some way, get that money out when it is a UK Government responsibility. The UK Government have distributed it directly in Scotland and Wales, not through the Welsh Parliament and not through the Scottish Parliament. Let us be very clear: the money is sitting there; the capacity to spend the money exists; and it is for the UK Government to do it. We have this nonsense, "Well, we'll call an election. That'll push the DUP into doing this. We'll cut the pay. That'll push the DUP into doing this. We'll hold the money back. We know that we have to give it to them, but we'll hold it back from the people. That'll make them have to do it". Let me be very clear: this is a constitutional issue. We will not be going back in for threats, bribes or anything else. We will be making our position absolutely clear. To Ursula von der Leyen, who was here last week —
I have not got time; I am sorry. Ursula von der Leyen, who was in the Republic last week, made some of the most ridiculous claims about the British Government, who have supported Ukraine in a way that no other Government in Europe have and who have never engaged in the activity that was suggested by Ursula von der Leyen. In fact, the only people outside Russia who are doing a power grab are those in the European Union, who want to make laws in this place when there is nobody democratically mandated to respond to those laws on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland. The European Union needs to get the reality here: we will not be giving in on these issues; we will be standing firm on them. I want to briefly mention Mr Beattie's comments, because what he said was absolutely scandalous. Apologies do not cut it, Doug. When you are a repeat offender, repeat apologies do not cut it. I will repeat what he said:
"I know that you think you can scream and whinge and whine like a girl from the sidelines. That is up to you".
I know personally what it is like, Mr Beattie, to be on the receiving end of your tweets and messages. I know personally what it is like for a woman to be on the receiving end.
I know personally what it is like —
— for a women's children to be on the receiving end of that. You are a disgrace to unionism.

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

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