Jeffrey Donaldson: Unionists ready to guarantee devolved government

From a speech by the Democratic Unionist Party MP for Logan Valley, delivered in Glenties, Co Donegal

We are willing to give clear commitments to ensure the long-term stability of agreed political institutions on the basis of equality and fairness. And we are prepared to work with others to build a society in Northern Ireland where tolerance and mutual respect are the key attitudes which mark out our relationships with each other.

Communities across Northern Ireland must be able to take ownership in the task of building a prosperous and fair society. Those who have inflicted the violence on the community have to give up the power that they have held, and those who have suffered at the hands of the violence have to live with the prospect of some of the perpetrators and their colleagues being in positions of power.

This is an enormous challenge for many people to face up to. The absence of peace, the underlying threat of violence, and the inability to resolve finally the issue of arms has been the single biggest stumbling block to political progress in Northern Ireland.

There are, of course, other, significant issues to be resolved, but their resolution to everyone's satisfaction could be much more easily achieved in an improved situation.

It does not take an expert to work out that widespread support is required. But this should not be seen as a threat to any section of the population, but a safeguard.

That is why I find it strange that some nationalist politicians seem to place a greater emphasis on defending a failed agreement than to finding a realistic way forward.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Please enter a valid email
Please enter a valid email
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Please enter your first name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
Please enter your last name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
You must be over 18 years old to register
You must be over 18 years old to register
Opt-out-policy
You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in