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  • Tom Elliott – 2023 Comments on Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland

    Tom Elliott – 2023 Comments on Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland

    The comments made by Tom Elliott, the Ulster Unionist MLA, on 23 January 2023.

    “There is a great deal of frustration with regard to legacy and how we can best move forward.

    “What we must not do is resurrect the Stormont House Agreement (SHA). The Ulster Unionist Party was the only one of the five major parties to reject the legacy proposals contained within the SHA because we could see from the outset that they contained major flaws.

    “Firstly the Stormont House Agreement proposed a parallel police force in the form of the Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) that would inevitably focus on the Army and Police due to the availability of accurate historical records, which obviously do not exist for terror gangs. Secondly it proposed a charge of ‘non-criminal police misconduct’ clearly indicating the target group.

    “It was also proposed that the HIU would only look at some – not all – deaths. It is little short of a scandal that throughout this process the injured have been all but ignored, and attempted murder treated as being of little consequence. This in effect has allowed the terrorists a get out of jail free card even though they would have been responsible for the injury of over 35,000 UK citizens. Those who oppose the Government’s current proposals because of the Amnesty, should also oppose the Stormont House Agreement because of the Amnesty contained within it.

    “What we need is an approach to legacy which is grounded in human rights. This will place the focus and the blame where they truly belong. I accept that on occasions the State and those who acted for it – the police and the army – may have overstepped the mark and should be held accountable. We must never forget that terrorists – loyalist and republican – were responsible for 90 per cent of Troubles related deaths. Every single action by the terror gangs was illegal and a breach of an individual’s human rights. Every killing, every bomb attack, every so-called punishment shooting or beating was carried out without any lawful authority or justification. Literally thousands of human rights abuses which too many people seem to want to be conveniently forgotten about in a bid to rewrite history and place the blame on the State, the Police and the Army.

    “Furthermore, if there is ever to be a serious examination of the Troubles and the legacy they have left, then there needs to be an honest assessment and acknowledgement of the role played by the Republic of Ireland. Its territory was used by the IRA to import arms, store weapons, mount hundreds of cross border attacks, coordinate ethnic cleansing of minority Protestant communities in the border area, and act as a safe haven for IRA terrorists on the run who were able to live freely in the Republic and the overwhelming difficulties the UK repeatedly faced in trying to extradite terrorist suspects from the Republic.

    Successive Dublin Governments have shown little appetite to seriously address these issues. The reality is that the Republic played a central role in the Troubles and this needs to be both highlighted and acknowledged if we are to have a full understanding of what really happened during those dark times.”

  • Mike Nesbitt – 2023 Comments on an Armed Police Service in Northern Ireland

    Mike Nesbitt – 2023 Comments on an Armed Police Service in Northern Ireland

    The comments made by Mike Nesbitt, the Ulster Unionist spokesperson on the Policing Board, on 18 January 2023.

    The Ulster Unionist spokesperson on the Policing Board, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has backed the continued policy of arming every PSNI officer. The affirmation follows the publication of a Policing Board report which states the PSNI should consider the policy in its future planning.

    Mike Nesbitt said:

    “The Policing Board is not recommending that a single officer should be disarmed today, tomorrow, next week or next year. Rather, I see this as a challenge to all of us regarding the sort of society we want. Would I like one where it was not necessary for all police officers to regularly carry firearms? Of course! Are we there yet? Absolutely not!

    “I think it is healthy to remind ourselves why officers need to carry lethal weapons, to review how often those weapons are deployed and to aspire to better days ahead.

    “The fact remains that our police officers not only have to face armed and violent criminal gangs but also live under threat both on and off-duty, as was seen recently in the attacks in Strabane and Londonderry and the threats made in the New IRA statement issued to mark the New Year. Police officers have a right to defend themselves and they are entitled to have the means to do so.”

  • Kim Johnson – 2023 Comments on Israel Being a “Fascist State”

    Kim Johnson – 2023 Comments on Israel Being a “Fascist State”

    The comments made by Kim Johnson, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, in the House of Commons on 1 February 2023.

    Kim Johnson

    Since the election of the fascist Israeli Government in December last year, there has been an increase in human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, including children. Can the Prime Minister tell us how he is challenging what Amnesty and other human rights organisations are referring to as an apartheid state?

    The Prime Minister

    The hon. Lady failed to mention the horrific attacks on civilians inside Israel as well. It is important in this matter to remain calm and urge all sides to strive for peace, and that is very much what I will do as Prime Minister and have done in the conversations that I have had with the Israeli Prime Minister.

  • David Lammy – 2023 Comments on Dismissal of Nadhim Zahawi

    David Lammy – 2023 Comments on Dismissal of Nadhim Zahawi

    The comments made by David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, on Twitter on 29 January 2023.

    Rishi Sunak is weak. That’s why it took him so long to act on Nadhim Zahawi when it was obvious to everyone else.

    Changing faces at the top of the Tory party won’t stop the carousel of chaos and scandal.

    We need a change of government.

  • Douglas Haig – 1965 Article on Recent Transport Ministers

    Douglas Haig – 1965 Article on Recent Transport Ministers

    The article written by Douglas Haig, a journalist for the Birmingham Post, on 31 December 1965 following the appointment of Barbara Castle as the Transport Minister.

    Of the last three Transport Ministers to precede Mrs. Barbara Castle, men who tackled the problems of railways deficits, the introduction of motorways and systems of traffic engineering and control to reduce congestion and improve safety, Mr. Ernest Marples stands hand and shoulders above the others.

    He is now recognised, even by many of those who had the “Marples Must Go” stickers in the rear windows of their cars, to be the publicist, technocrat type of Transport Minister the country now needs.

    …….

    During his reign, despite heavy and faster capital renewal, the railways were disintegrating commercially. So, Mr. Marples, not satisfied with the report of an expert planning board to reorganise the railways under Lord (then Sir Ivan) Stedeford, brought in Dr. Richard Beeching. He also announced a complete financial reorganisation of the railways, and the break-up of the British Transport Commission into five separate boards, each to try to be self suppporting.

    His objective was to make them all commercially viable. This began to be achieved by reductions in the deficits of the railways under Dr. Beeching until (as he observes with regret) an increase in deficit of £20m under Mr. Tom Fraser. The object achieved – a much more business-like and economic running of all the nationalised transport undertakings, Mr. Marples used as his motto “The Boss Ought Know”. His method was to gauge the size of the problem, study the facts in depth, but above all act with deeds, not words.

    …….

    His rule – you must keep up the momentum in a Ministry, or it will sag. Mr. Tom Fraser, regarded as a sound, solid, but unimaginative Minister, let it sag. His main contributions have been the reversal of many Marples-Beeching railway closures, subsidising London Transport, the 70mph speed limit and the 30mph danger lights on motorways in difficult conditions.

    ……

    Mr. Fraser failed to make public a Labour transport road-rail co-ordination programme. In this, to Labour MP’s chagrin, he achieved nothing. Nor do transport experts believe it is possible properly to co-ordinate the two, without damage to industry and transport costs. They forecast that Mrs. Castle will be no more successful in this sector of Labour policy.

  • Barbara Castle – 1966 Refusal to Suspend Rail Closures Until Planning Councils Met

    Barbara Castle – 1966 Refusal to Suspend Rail Closures Until Planning Councils Met

    The comments made by Barbara Castle, the then Minister for Transport, in the House of Commons on 9 February 1966.

    Mr. Park asked the Minister of Transport if, following her discussions on the matter with the chairmen of the regional planning councils, she will now suspend all railway closures pending her review of Government policy on the coordination of transport services.

    Mrs. Castle No. But if, following comments from a planning council on a particular proposal, I decide that closure would conflict with developing plans and policies I shall either refuse my consent or defer my decision.

  • Barbara Castle – 1966 Confirmation on Not Reappointing Lord Beeching

    Barbara Castle – 1966 Confirmation on Not Reappointing Lord Beeching

    The comments made by Barbara Castle, the then Transport Minister, in the House of Commons on 2 February 1966.

    Mr. Box asked the Minister of Transport whether she will approach Lord Beeching with a view to his reappointment as Chairman of British Railways.

    Mrs. Castle No.

  • Wes Streeting – 2023 Comments on Sajid Javid’s Suggestion of Charging for Using NHS

    Wes Streeting – 2023 Comments on Sajid Javid’s Suggestion of Charging for Using NHS

    The comments made by Wes Streeting, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on Twitter on 21 January 2023.

    Over my dead body.

    An NHS free at the point of use has been its central equitable principle for 75 years. Patients should never have to worry about the bill.

    It’s up to Labour, which founded the NHS, to grip the biggest crisis in its history and make it fit for the future.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Comments on Not Wearing a Seatbelt

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Comments on Not Wearing a Seatbelt

    The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, on 23 January 2023.

    Yes, I regret not wearing a seatbelt. It was a mistake and that is why I apologised straight away.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2023 Comments on the Personal Conduct of Nadhim Zahawi

    Emily Thornberry – 2023 Comments on the Personal Conduct of Nadhim Zahawi

    The comments made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow Attorney General, on Twitter on 22 January 2023.

    Next up in today’s cavalcade of Tory corruption, Nadhim Zahawi spent more than £1,000 of taxpayers’ money on a ‘keep the meter running’ luxury car service when visiting COP26 to preach about children being taught to conserve the planet.