Member's statement: Bert Johnston: Tribute
Member's statement by Mr Tom Buchanan on .
- MLA
- Mr Tom Buchanan
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 16 February 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Bert Johnston: Tribute
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5391034
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I pay tribute to a dear friend and colleague Mr Bert Johnston, who passed away peacefully at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen yesterday evening. I pass on our sympathies to his dear wife, Olive; his sons Mark and Paul; his grandchildren; the wider family circle; and all others who knew him.
Bert was one of this world's gentlemen; a man who was always courteous and compassionate to all with whom he came in contact. He was well known not only in Fermanagh but throughout Northern Ireland and much further afield for the successful upholstery business that he ran from beside his home in Ballinamallard, which continues to flourish. He also had a successful political career as a DUP councillor for Erne North for 38 years and served as the last chairman of Fermanagh District Council before the Fermanagh and Omagh councils amalgamated. Bert served as a councillor for the DUP from its earliest days back in 1976 and 1977. He never wavered in his commitment and loyalty to the party. He stood strong in his belief, despite the challenges that there were back in those early days to even be associated with the Democratic Unionist Party. He was a founding member of the local community association in Ballinamallard and had a heart and a genuine love for his constituents and his home village. My colleague Deborah Erskine referred to him as "Mr Ballinamallard", who paved the way for all who came after him: that sums it up well. He also became an MBE for his commitment and dedication to his work among the community and was held in high esteem by all who knew him. While he was successful in business and in a long political career, his success was founded in his strong Christian faith. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ as his own and personal saviour and, day by day, was guided in all that he did by his strong and unwavering faith. Today, we can surely say that heaven's gain is earth's loss. While he is with the saviour whom he loved and served, we — his family, friends, the community and all who knew him and mourn for him today — can say in the words of 1 Samuel 20:18:
"thou shalt be missed, for thy seat will be empty."
386 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.97).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying 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 | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.01 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.97 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.03 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.93 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.03 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:53 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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