Alliance Leader David Ford has accused David Trimble of putting on the political straight-jacket handed to him by the anti-Agreement faction in the UUP.
Responding to Mr Trimble’s vow that he would begin to withdraw his party from the Executive unless the IRA ended all violence by January, Mr Ford stated:
“Any compromise with anti-Agreement unionism is a bad compromise. By threatening to bring down the Assembly, David Trimble is leading us into yet another manufactured crisis ahead of an election.”
“By allowing those who perpetuate instability to set the agenda, Mr Trimble is saying he is willing to destroy everything that has been built up in the past five years. He has already said he believes his unilateral demands will not be met.”
“Executive parties should be working together to resolve their problems, not threatening each other.”
“On Tuesday the Assembly will be debating its next Programme for Government, setting out the Executive’s plans. It is difficult to see how Mr Trimble can look to the future in this respect while constantly peering over his shoulder.”
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