Member's statement: Jobs Fair: Foyle Arena
Member's statement by Mr Gary Middleton on .
- MLA
- Mr Gary Middleton
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 September 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Jobs Fair: Foyle Arena
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5067980
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I pose this question: what should be the role of an elected representative? Is it to serve constituents, advocate for local interests and try to make life better for our communities? The sad reality in the Londonderry City and Strabane District Council area is that nationalist parties and independent republicans increasingly see it as being their role to spend hours virtue-signalling on issues that they cannot control yet spend mere minutes on things that they can control. Our council area tops the league table in almost every area that you would not want it to: economic inactivity, unemployment and deprivation, to name but a few. Yet time and time again, their focus has been on every issue rather than on trying to address the concerns that matter to people. There have been decades of control by the SDLP and Sinn Féin in the council, and, alongside the MP position, the area's Assembly seats are held by a nationalist majority, yet we continue to lag behind. Tomorrow, a jobs fair is due to take place at the Foyle Arena in the Waterside area of my constituency. Jobs fairs are an excellent opportunity for employers to meet potential employees all under one roof. However, one of the most significant employers, the Ministry of Defence and our armed forces sector, has been told that it is not welcome there by the SDLP, Sinn Féin and independents. The short-sightedness and downright bigotry of that position is shameful. To seek to deny people in my constituency the right to engage with that employer is disgraceful. Once again, there is a complete and utter failure of leadership from nationalism in my constituency. When a unionist colleague spoke of the importance of the military to them and their family and of the valuable jobs that are on offer, they were told by an SDLP councillor:
"That's grand for your family, but it's not right to make it personal in how it makes you feel".
That is the crux of the issue. Dehumanising those who are impacted on might be easier on the conscience of those representatives, but it does not change the reality. Unionists are just about tolerated by the nationalist leadership in our city. Even small gestures are too big for some.
What happened when a portrait of His Majesty The King was offered to the council following the coronation? "You can have it, but not on our premises", was the message. Coronation celebrations? "Do it, but do not involve us", was that message. A jobs fair? "Yes, we can have it, but with only those employers who conform to our outlook", was the message there. That is the reality for unionists in my constituency. There are those who talk of the Derry model, but if that is the model that nationalists seek for their shared island, they are even more deluded than I thought. For the record, I am very proud of our armed forces, whether for helping out during the pandemic, defusing bombs that terrorists left or defending all our freedoms across the globe. Their devotion and sacrifice stand in stark contrast to those who seek to drag us back.
526 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations
Jev’s structured answers met every documented threshold for a qualifying culture-war activity.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.87 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.95); Sectarian or communal antagonism (0.78); Cultural grievance politics (0.69); Dog-whistle messaging (0.87); Controversy escalation (0.79).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.96).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The text adopts an antagonistic or dog-whistle framing, which qualifies even alongside legitimate scrutiny.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.95 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.78 | Yes |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.69 | Yes |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.87 | Yes |
| Controversy escalation | 0.79 | Yes |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.16 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.87 | Above qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.04 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.96 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.98 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.02 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.