Ulster Unionist leader visits US to promote a positive unionist message
Ulster Unionist leader visits US to promote a positive unionist message
This week the Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie MC MLA is in the United States to promote a confident and positive unionist message directly with politicians and influencers. He will be having a series of meetings in New York and Washington DC.
Mr Beattie said:
“As part of the Ulster Unionist Party`s mission to the US I met with Caitriona Fottrell the CEO of The Ireland Funds America. This global philanthropic network established in 1976 has raised over $600million for the island of Ireland promoting and supporting peace, culture and charities both north and south.
“Caitriona was extremely engaging and interested in the many issues that affect Northern Ireland. These ranged from education and division, the protocol and politics in general, to how we can work to help isolated working-class communities and what that support would look like.
“Much like the UUP she believes we must be more confident and positive as to what we have to offer. Negativity creates a confusing message to would-be investors, undermining how Northern Ireland can prosper in the future.
“Overall it was clear. The US wants to hear the unionist message, they want to understand, help and play a positive part in the lives of our people.
“It is time unionism began promoting who we are and what we stand for. We must be more positive and less negative, and we must be more engaged with organisations like The Ireland Funds, America. It certainly does not help our cause if we don’t reach out then complain nobody is listening. We must stop being overly confrontational and be more strategic in our thinking and that means creating unionist friends in the US.”