DUP only interested in self praise

Young Unionist member mark Ovens has responded to a letter by DUP MLA Jim Shannon which appeared recently in a local newspaper.

In the letter Mr Shannon goes on a self-praising mission of his DUP colleague Nigel Dodds claiming, 'Dodds will bring us through'. Responding to the ridiculous claims however Mr Ovens, a Fermanagh and South Tyrone member of the UUP criticised the DUP and told them to 'Grow up and get on with politics'.

"I would like to voice my disgust at Mr Shannon's flagrant fit of self-serving DUP back slapping. At a time when we are hearing daily announcements of serious job losses the DUP are only interested in telling each other how wonderful they are. What Nigel Dodds delivered in the Assembly recently was a December Monitoring Round which happens as a matter of course every year. The only thing of note was how measly the hand outs were and this was because of serious gaps in the Executive's Budget, which Nigel Dodds is responsible for."

"For example in order to cover the NICS pay claim Nigel has had to withhold £100million from previous monitoring rounds which could have been used to help the economy, and any extra money he will get from the Treasury in the future, I am confident, will be used to cover other serious gaps."

"In light of the fact that many people are facing a very bleak Christmas of unemployment and worry I found Mr. Shannon's hollow platitudes particularly exasperating. Will he heap praise on his Party colleagues for their inability to get the Executive to meet for 154 days. 154 days, that could have been used to address this crisis, were wasted by the DUP and Sinn Fein. And in light of the paltry deal that appears to have been struck between these two bedfellows over policing and justice this episode seems to have been driven primarily by arrogance."

"Jim Shannon's letter proves that the DUP are still willing to treat the people of Northern Ireland with contempt and that supreme arrogance is still alive and kicking in the DUP."