THE NORTH’S First Minister, Peter Robinson, has rejected criticism from Alliance Party leader David Ford about his and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness’s commitment to tackling sectarianism in Northern Ireland.
The two members of the Executive clashed after Mr Ford told a conference on community relations that he feared if an all-party attempt to find agreement on tackling division failed, the DUP and Sinn Féin would develop an unacceptable “lowest common denominator” strategy.
Mr Ford said he was frustrated that after six years the Executive had failed to sign off on a cohesion, sharing and integration (CSI) strategy.
“History will not forgive us if we squander the opportunity presented by an end to violence to tackle the underlying divisions of this society,” Mr Ford said in Belfast yesterday morning in a speech to mark community relations week.
He said his party would not compromise on achieving a shared future.
“If that stretches the patience of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, so be it. It’s not a matter of insisting on Alliance getting everything we want – it is a matter of insisting that Northern Ireland gets what it needs if we are to move, as a community, beyond ‘them and us’,” he added.
Mr Ford said criticisms by Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness that Alliance’s attendance at all-party talks on finding an agreed strategy on addressing sectarianism was unsatisfactory were unwarranted and untrue.
“The fact is that Chris Lyttle, the MLA who I asked to lead on this, has attended all but one of the meetings that have been held, and at that meeting my special adviser attended in his place,” he said.
Mr Ford said the DUP and Sinn Féin were annoyed because his party would not accept a “watered down strategy” on combating sectarianism.
When taking questions in the Assembly yesterday afternoon, Mr Robinson accused Alliance of foot-dragging on the issue. “I think it is unfortunate that there are some people who are trying to posture and party politicise issues around the CSI strategy,” he said.
“And it’s sadly the case that some of those who publicly make the most noise are making the least contribution and perhaps in particular the Alliance Party would try and focus itself more on trying to get an agreed result instead of going out and trying to indicate that somehow they are leading the way, when in fact they are dragging their feet on the issue,” added Mr Robinson.
