Member's statement: Minister of Justice
Member's statement by Mr Timothy Gaston on .
- MLA
- Mr Timothy Gaston
- Party at the time
- Traditional Unionist Voice
- Date
- 30 September 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Minister of Justice
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5142830
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I begin my remarks by reading into the record an open letter that Mr Paul Toombs sent to the Justice Minister last week:
“Dear Minister Long, I am writing to express my profound disgust and sense of betrayal regarding your comments on the Nolan Show … I was horrified to hear you … equate the actions of terrorists with the experience of innocent victims ... You … said: ‘When you talk about people who have done really bad things, often really bad things have also been done to those people and that’s part of the point where they were willing to do those things.’ This view is not only factually wrong, but deeply insulting to my family and to countless others who have suffered at the hands of those who chose to inflict pain and misery. My family … never had a choice ... We never” —
lifted —
"a gun or planted a bomb ... my father, Ivan Toombs" —
who was murdered —
“served his community and sacrificed his life to keep the peace … True reconciliation can only ever be built on … truth and justice. Your” —
words —
“and actions … have only served to deepen mistrust”.
Doug Beattie called Mrs Long's words an "appalling contribution" that:
"tried to blur the lines between victim and perpetrator."
My North Antrim colleague, Mr Frew, described her position as "diabolical". I agree with both statements. My question today is this: do the DUP and the Ulster Unionists still have confidence in the Justice Minister? I remind the House that Mrs Long is unique in the Executive. Mrs Long is Minister of Justice because the Assembly voted to make her Minister of Justice. The record shows that only Jim Allister opposed her appointment. What now?
Are the DUP and the Ulster Unionists happy to sustain a Justice Minister who cannot grasp the difference between a victim and a victim maker? Act or own it. In championing Stormont, you own a First Minister who said that "there was no alternative" to IRA murder. You own an Irish Language Commissioner who was imposed upon unionists. You own a Justice Minister who equates terrorists with their victims. Own it or do something about it. Yesterday, in the Business Office, I lodged a motion of no confidence in the Justice Minister. If colleagues agree that she should not hold office, go and sign my motion, or, indeed, table your own, and I will sign it. If you do nothing, you will own —
— yet another failed feature of the Stormont Executive.
429 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Uncertain: close call Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism
Uncertain: this record is published but not counted in any total.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.72 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.69); Controversy escalation (0.66).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.40).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The answers did not meet either automatic threshold.
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 | 0.69 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.08 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.11 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.22 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.66 | Yes |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.17 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.72 | Above qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.24 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.40 |
| Adopts it | 0.35 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.98 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 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 01:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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