Speeches

He emphasized Ulster Unionists had always been passionate about the Union this was now demonstrated clearly through the new link with the Conservatives now giving Northern Ireland the aspiration to be at the big table and participating in national government.

Speaking at the AGM of West Tyrone Unionist Association, Terry Wright, UUP deputy chairman, said: "Politics without deeds are dead. If all we have to give to people is words then we fail the electorate".

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Politics is about belief: Belief in yourself; in your policies; and in the beliefs and motives of others.

It is an honour and a privilege to deliver this maiden speech today and especially on a subject very close to my heart, that of local government. But first it would be highly remiss of me not to pay tribute to my predecessor.

"Rubble and rationing--- the last time the economy was this bad was 1946," was how The Times 29 January 2009 described the current state of the UK economy.

Speaking during the debate on Policing and Justice this week, UUP MLA Alan McFarland said: Members will recall that the Preparation for Government Committee met over the summer of 2006 to open all-party discussions on policing and justice

Politics is easy during the good times. It is easy to stand in front of cameras, laughing and smiling - just like the Chuckle Brothers, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness. It is easy to make far-reaching promises to voters during an election campaign - just like Sinn Fein's promise of no water charges and the DUP's boast that it would gain a £1million economic package.

Ladies and Gentleman: Thank you again for entrusting me with the task of leading the Ulster Unionist Party. It is an honour. It is a privilege.

My thanks to all of you for coming today; and my thanks, too, to those of you who came along to the EGM last night.

'There are ongoing reports that some DUP Ministers have already decided to 'dump' the Maze Stadium project. I cannot confirm this. I do know, however, that the issue has been a source of internal dispute within the DUP since at least June 23 last year: when Edwin Poots and Ian Paisley both voiced public support for the idea, while Nigel Dodds, Sammy Wilson and Gregory Campbell voiced public opposition. A very early sign, as it turns out, that the internal discipline exercised by the DUP during the opposition years, wasn't going to hold when they became a party of government.

One of the consequences of the return of "normal politics" was that the media and general public would begin to look at the broader picture of how government operates, what legislation is introduced and how the elected representatives themselves perform. So it is not entirely unexpected-particularly in light of the debate that has been raging across the rest of the United Kingdom-that the issue of salaries and expenses is now in the spotlight.