Extracts from a speech by TUV President William Ross at a public meeting in Magherafelt, Saturday 2nd February.

“The £12,000 was ugly outgrowth of the U.K. Government policy of appeasement of terrorism. It sprang from the same root as the Belfast and St. Andrew’s Agreements and it, like the Agreements, could only have been carried into effect if the Unionist population had agreed to it. Fortunately on this occasion the outrage was such that it has gone into the dustbin, its blatant ignoring of morality was its undoing. It’s a pity that the Unionist leaders didn’t recognise the amoral nature of the Agreements which they had negotiated. It’s an even greater pity that the Unionist electorate allowed themselves to be misled by Blair, Trimble and Paisley.

“We can, however, take hope that with every passing week the foundations of sand on which the agreements were erected become more and more apparent. Every, week more and more people understand that the whole structure of the agreements make deadlock inevitable and therefore a new way forward must be found.

“Just as it is possible to find a better way of dealing with the victims issues, a better way of running Northern Ireland can be created. What is also certain, however, is that those who agreed to, promoted, and who now sit in the Assembly and Executive are so deeply enmeshed in the whole amoral enterprise that they cannot bring about the necessary changes. Of course, many of them don’t want to change it for they fear more for their salaries than for the future of Northern Ireland. An old Member of Parliament once gave me a piece of very sound advice. “William” he said, “never take on a political position that you cannot afford to walk away from”. He was absolutely correct, for if you can’t afford to walk away on a point of principle you are not free to do what is best for country and people.

“Last weekend in Dublin Mr. Adams told a very harsh truth when he said that Unionists can only exercise power when they share power. In other words every action taken by the Assembly has to have the support of SF/IRA Equally, it is true that when the Unionists object, as over education, SF/IRA can’t get their way either. This sort of deadlock is inevitable because it is inherent in the structures created by the agreements. Deadlocks institutionalised by this system are very destructive for Northern Ireland — and this suits Irish Republicism just fine; they want Northern Ireland to be a failed political and constitutional entity.

“It is essential for the Union that changes be made, and since the present Unionist representation is incapable of making these changes, they will eventually have to be replaced by those who clearly understood from the very start of the Trimble/Paisley betrayals what the outcome would be.”