Ulster Democratic Unionist Party

---

On b e h a l f o f my two P a r l i a m e n t a r y

c o l l e a g u e s and m y s e l f urgent

request

I w i s h t o make a n

t o you f o r a m e e t i n g about

S e c u r i t y i n Northern

Ireland.



I e n c l o s e a s t a t e m e n t w h i c h my

P a r t y h a s j u s t made on H.M.G's p r o p o s a l s

f o r Northern I r e l a n d . T h i s statement e x p l a i n s our r e q u e s t f o r a S e c u r i t y m e e t i n g .

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Ulster Democratic Unionist Party 296

ALBERTBRIDGE

ROAD,

Telephone: Belfast 56418/9

BELFAST,

BT5

NORTHERN

IRELAND

Telex: 748059

The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y h a s n o t o n l y t h e w i l l b u t t h e

d e t e r m i n a t i o n to s e e t h a t a p r o p e r form of d e v o l v e d P a r l i a m e n t and Government a r e e s t a b l i s h e d i n N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d .



The P a r t y b e l i e v e s t h a t o n l y s u c h a Government c a n s a f e g u a r d

t h e f u t u r e o f t h e p r o v i n c e w i t h i n t h e U n i t e d Kingdom, and t h a t

any t i n k e r i n g w i t h l o c a l Government would be a mere c o s m e t i c

e x e r c i s e . Any l o c a l c o u n c i l r e f o r m s h o u l d be t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of

d e v o l v e d government.

U n l i k e t h e O f f i c i a l U n i o n i s t s t h e D.U.P, i s n o t p r e p a r e d t o s e t t l e

f o r t h e p r o p o s a l on mere l o c a l c o u n c i l r e f o r m i n t h e T o r y m a n i f e s t o .

We welcome t h e f a c t t h a t H e r M a j e s t y ' s Government a r e a l s o

d e t e r m i n e d t o s e e k an a c c e p t a b l e way o f r e s t o r i n g t o t h e p e o p l e

of N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d more c o n t r o l o v e r t h e i r own a f f a i r s , and t o

d e v o l v e powers o f government a t p r e s e n t e x e r c i s e d from W e s t m i n s t e r .



The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y b e l i e v e s t h a t t h e f i r s t t h i n g t h a t n e e d s t o be done i s t o r e - e s t a b l i s h c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e b a l l o t box, and t h e r e f o r e p u t s c l e a r l y on r e c o r d t h a t any s t e p s t o w a r d s t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a d e v o l v e d government must be s e e n to have t h e a p p r o v a l t h r o u g h t h e b a l l o t box o f t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e U l s t e r p e o p l e They a r e p e r f e c t l y p r e p a r e d t o a c c e p t t h e c h a l l e n g e t h a t was p u t t o t h e p e o p l e o f S c o t l a n d and W a l e s , t h e c h a l l e n g e of a r e f e r e n d u m r e q u i r i n g a bO$> m a j o r i t y . We a l s o welcome t h e c l e a r s t a t e m e n t of t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e on

b e h a l f o f t h e Government t h a t t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r N o r t h e r n

I r e l a n d and i t s f u t u r e r e s t s w i t h t h e p e o p l e o f N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d ,

t h e P a r l i a m e n t of t h e U n i t e d Kingdom and t h e Government o f t h e

U n i t e d Kingdom, and t h a t t h e Government of t h e South of I r e l a n d

w i l l not be i n c l u d e d i n any t a l k s on d e v o l v e d government. T h i s i s

b o t h t h e l e g a l and r i g h t a t t i t u d e and must be m a i n t a i n e d .

The e l e c t e d members f o r N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d i n t h e U n i t e d Kingdom

P a r l i a m e n t must be g i v e n t h e i r p r o p e r p l a c e i n any c o n s u l t a t i o n .

I f , a s h a s b e e n s u g g e s t e d by t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e , t h a t t h e t a l k s

s h o u l d o n l y be among t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t

P a r t y , t h e O f f i c i a l U n i o n i s t P a r t y , t h e A l l i a n c e P a r t y and t h e

Ulster Democratic Unionist Party 296

ALBERTBRIDGE

ROAD,

Telephone: Belfast 56418/9

BELFAST,

BT5

NORTHERN

IRELAND

Telex: 748059

S.D.L.P. t h e n a P a r t y l i k e t h e A l l i a n c e P a r t y , w h i c h h a s no

e l e c t e d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a t Westminster, i s going to f i n d i t s e l f

i n a more f a v o u r a b l e p o s i t i o n t h a n e l e c t e d U n i o n i s t members o f

P a r l i a m e n t l i k e Mr James K i l f e d d e r and Mr J o h n Dunlop. S u c h a

p o s i t i o n i s b a s i c a l l y wrong and i s n o t a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e D e m o c r a t i c

Unionist Party. Hence my i n s i s t e n c e i n t h e House o f Commons t h a t

the C o n s u l t a t i v e Document w h i c h i s t o s e t f o r t h a l t e r n a t i v e s and

a l s o t h e Government's p r o p o s a l s f o r d i s c u s s i o n s s h o u l d be r e f e r r e d

to t h e N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d Committee o f t h e House, on w h i c h a l l members

from N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d s e r v e . Of c o u r s e t h e House o f Commons i t s e l f

s h o u l d have t h e o p p o r t u n i t y a s a whole t o c o n s i d e r t h e C o n s u l t a t i v e

Document. The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y would t h e n f a v o u r a

p r o p e r l y e l e c t e d Conference of t h e people of Northern I r e l a n d to

c o n s i d e r t h e C o n s u l t a t i v e Document; p e o p l e w i t h a mandate and n o t

p e o p l e who a r e n o n - e l e c t e d . P a r l i a m e n t a r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s have a l r e a d y

a mandate t o c o n s i d e r m a t t e r s t h a t a r e w i t h i n t h e competence o f t h e

P a r l i a m e n t , b u t n o n - e l e c t e d members, we f e e l s t r o n g l y , a r e n o t t h e

people to c o n s i d e r t h e f u t u r e of Northern I r e l a n d .

We welcome t h e f a c t t h a t t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e , s p e a k i n g on b e h a l f

of t h e Government, d i d n o t o v e r r u l e t h e s u g g e s t i o n t h a t a t t h e end

o f t h e day t h e whole m a t t e r s h o u l d be r e f e r r e d t o a r e f e r e n d u m o f a l l

the people of Northern I r e l a n d .

The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y f e e l s t h a t i f any C o n s t i t u t i o n i s

g o i n g t o s t i c k , i t i s n o t g o i n g t o s t i c k t h r o u g h any P a r l i a m e n t a r y

e l e c t i o n o r through a Parliamentary m a j o r i t y a s a r e s u l t of such an

e l e c t i o n b u t by a v o t e on t h e p r i n c i p l e by t h e whole o f t h e p e o p l e o f

Northern I r e l a n d , p o l i t i c a l p e r s o n a l i t i e s thus being l e f t a s i d e .

I f the people of Northern I r e l a n d i n such a referendum g i v e t h e i r

a p p r o v a l t o t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n p r e s e n t e d t o them, t h e n i t i s up t o

e v e r y d e m o c r a t i c p o l i t i c i a n t o work t h a t s y s t e m t h a t h a s b e e n c h o s e n

and approved o f by t h e p e o p l e .

T h e r e i s , however, one p r i o r i t y c o n s i d e r a t i o n and t h a t i s t h e

s e c u r i t y o f N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d . The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y i s f i r m l y

on r e c o r d a s b e i n g f a r from s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e o f

a f f a i r s i n the s e c u r i t y f i e l d . The p r e s e n t Government h a s f a i l e d t h e

people of U l s t e r i n t h i s v i t a l matter.

The P a r t y a p p r o v e s f u l l y t h e D i s t r i c t C o u n c i l ' s r e s o l u t i o n on s e c u r i t y

and i n f a c t h a s t a b l e d t h a t r e s o l u t i o n i n W e s t m i n s t e r . So f a r o n l y t h e

D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t members have s i g n e d t h a t r e s o l u t i o n .

Ulster Democratic Unionist Party 296

ALBERTBRIDGE

ROAD,

Telephone: Belfast 56418/9

BELFAST,

BT5

NORTHERN

IRELAND

Telex: 748059

U.D.U.P

The D e m o c r a t i c U n i o n i s t P a r t y a r e now a s l c i r y ; f o r a n i m m e d i a t e

m e e t i n g w i t h t h e P r i n o " i n i s t e r on t h e n u e s t l o n o f n o r t h e r n I r e l a n d ' s security. I f a s t h e r e s u l t o f ?;hat n e e t i n e t h e y a r e s a t i s f i e d

that Her Majesty's "ovcninent a r e r e a l l y goEjg to take d e c i s i v e

s t e p s i n t h e s e c u r i t y f i e l d , t h e P a r t y w i l l be p r e p a r e d t o -play i t s

f u l l part alone the l i n e s i n d i c a t e d i n t h i s statement.