Debate contribution: European Parliament Observer Status

Debate contribution by Mr Timothy Gaston on 8 December 2025.

MLA

Mr Timothy Gaston

Party at the time

Traditional Unionist Voice

Date

8 December 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

European Parliament Observer Status

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5284408

Read the official Assembly record

Text

We have heard a great deal today about democratic deficits and observer status in Brussels. Once again, we have witnessed the republican and nationalist alliance in the House fall over itself to see which party can stand up and say, "We are the biggest Europhiles". My goodness, we even got a Christmas card from the SDLP with its list of priorities. Matthew, I think that the SDLP takes the prize today for being the biggest Europhiles, having outdone Alliance very marginally. When we strip away all of that, however, we need to remind ourselves of the simple democratic reality. In 2016, the people of the United Kingdom were asked a straightforward question: should the UK leave the European Union? The answer that came back from the British people was equally straightforward: "Yes, leave". That democratic decision should have been honoured.

It should have been implemented in full. It should have restored the sovereignty of the nation. I am happy to give way to Mr Dickson. Let me hear you.

There were have the Alliance Party. The SDLP, Sinn Féin and Alliance were able to come together to cook up the fudges that were the protocol and the Windsor framework. When any business has problems in Northern Ireland, blame those three parties. They were the chief makers, pushers, movers and shakers. What we now have is an arrangement that leaves Northern Ireland governed by laws that we do not make, that we cannot change and that are interpreted by a foreign court. If we want to talk about a democratic deficit, why not start there? That does not suit the narrative of the nationalist and republican alliance, however. The idea that the solution to Northern Ireland's problems and to the democratic deficit is somehow more EU involvement, more EU buildings or EU observer roles is frankly nonsense. The deficit comes from the EU's continued grip on Northern Ireland. It will not be remedied by allowing the EU to tighten its grip even more. We then have the SDLP amendment and its proposal on:

"support for the establishment of a European Commission office in Belfast."

That sounds very official. Let me be clear to the SDLP: Northern Ireland does not need a European Commission office; it needs full restoration of its place within the United Kingdom. What is an EU office in Belfast supposed to achieve? Is its purpose to normalise EU oversight of laws that we do not make? Is it to entrench a system in which Northern Ireland is treated differently from the rest of the country and the Union to which we belong? After all the talk about democratic deficit, I remind the House of what happened when the Assembly was asked to vote on the continuation of the protocol — the very arrangement that means that we have no say on vast swathes of the economic laws that govern us. What did it do? Ah, it did not want to know. The Members who support the motion today are the very ones who supported the motion on the protocol. You cannot complain about democratic deficits if you support the very arrangements that led to our colonial status. Why did they do that? Some claim that it was to protect the sacred Belfast Agreement, but their protocol destroys the basis of that agreement. The Belfast Agreement states that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom until the people of Northern Ireland say otherwise. If that promise means anything, it means that I have the same rights as anyone else in the UK to take part in national referendums and have the result respected. The agreement says that no significant or controversial decision can be taken without the buy-in of both communities. We have the petition of concern; that is good. Let us work together for unionism. The DUP brought this place back on the basis of the dodgy Donaldson deal. For that, you will pay the price. To the SDLP and Alliance I say this: all your cuddly relationship is doing is pushing you down and down in the polls, sitting behind the TUV. Let that sink in. You are cuddling up to Sinn Féin as part of your pan-nationalist and republican alliance. Whatever you want to tell yourself, come 2027, the people in this country will cast their views on everything that has taken place since the restoration of Stormont. Those who gave away their principles to become implementers will have to face the electorate, as will the Alliance Party and the SDLP, which have cuddled up to Sinn Féin over the past number of years.

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

Assessment

Qualifying Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:08 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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