Responding to Dromore DUP Councillor Paul Rankin’s latest comments South Down TUV Chairman George McConnell said:

“I note that Councillor Rankin has not repeated his foolish claim that there is some sort of inconstancy between opposing terrorist inclusive government and lobbying for constituents. I will take his silence on the matter as an acknowledgment that it was a foolish argument on his part.

“Secondly, I note his failure to explain how he moved from a position in 2005 where mandatory coalition was “out of the question” to being an enthusiastic cheer leader for McGuinness and Co in government. He lauds Sinn Fein/IRA’s supposed support for the police while ignoring the fact that literally hundreds of murders committed by the Provisional Movement remain unsolved. Does Mr Rankin not believe that there are people in Sinn Fein who could provide information which would result in convictions for those crimes? One cannot be said to support the rule of law and conceal knowledge of unsolved criminality. It seems that justice for those slaughtered by the military wing of the DUP’s coalition partners has been forgotten.

“But we do not have to go back to the height of the Troubles to find grounds to question Republican commitment to the rule of law. Remember the brutal IRA murder of Paul Quinn. Has Mr Rankin forgotten the £26 million stolen from the Northern Bank? Not so long ago the return of the money was a precondition for Sinn Fein’s admittance to government. Now the money, like Mr Rankin’s manifesto pledges, has been forgotten.

“I would caution Mr Rankin about lauding the DUP’s track record on North Southery as well. The uncomfortable truth is that on the DUP’s watch Dublin interference has grown to unprecedented levels. One has only to look back over the past fortnight. Two weeks ago the DUP MLA for this constituency, Jim Wells, travelled down to Dublin as part of the DRD Committee. Following the trip, his party colleague Alastair Ross attacked the UUP’s Fred Cobain for “crossing a major line” because he addressed a Dail committee. This, according to the DUP, was an unpredicted betrayal of Unionism. However, Mr Wells has since had to apologise to Mr Cobain as it transpired that the UUP man was doing so on the instructions of the DRD committee and that both Messrs Wells and Ross had agreed to this.

“Therefore, far from curtailing Dublin’s influence in Northern Ireland the DUP crossed what they have themselves have described as “a major line” in relation to Sothern influence here.

“Finally, while Mr Rankin highlights what some Republicans are calling each other he seems to have forgotten that his party was dubbed DUP Nua (Irish for New DUP) by McGuinness. Given that the entirety of his statement was taken up with defending Sinn Fein/IRA’s position in the government of our Province this seems a most apt title”.