DUP helped bring peace
THE ELECTORATE has given us a hung Parliament. It is now our duty to make it work. Reaching an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party on key votes helps us do that by providing workable arrangements for Government in the national interest.
Few people would thank us if we resorted to the alternative scenario of another protracted general election.
The Conservatives and DUP have different views on a number of issues but that should not stop us working together where we can find common ground.
Neither same-sex marriage nor abortion feature in the deal agreed by Downing Street and they are free-vote matters in Westminster.
It is wrong to characterise the DUP as extreme because of their Christian beliefs. For example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union Party, recently voted against same-sex marriage yet no one would describe her as extreme.
Moreover, Labour complaints on this look cynical in the light of their effort to cultivate the DUP in 2015 in anticipation of seeking their support in the hung parliament many expected.
Parties with different views from each other work together in several European countries. While minority governments are unusual in the UK, in the rest of Europe proportional representation voting systems make hung parliaments the norm.
Minority government can work effectively. In Ireland, Fine Gael has been running a minority administration, supported by independents, and the Irish economy is performing strongly.
The £1billion financial package agreed will support the whole of Northern Ireland, helping both sides of the divide. It is the latest in a line of such financial arrangements from UK governments – Labour and Conservative – because for many years there has been cross-party recognition that Northern Ireland faces unique difficulties.
Some people reading this will not remember The Troubles but that 30-year period of terrorism is fresh in the minds of those in Northern Ireland who bear the physical and emotional scars.
The legacy of the past has an impact on the Northern Ireland economy and its public services.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds highlighted this when he pointed out the high suicide rates in his North Belfast constituency, which suffered a significant number of deaths during The Troubles. The Conservatives have
IN THAT same Budget he provided £2billion extra for social care in England. City deals have delivered about £1billion of additional financial support for Wales and Scotland outside the Barnett formula. So Northern Ireland MPs are not unique in making a convincing case for additional resources.
This arrangement with the DUP will not prevent the Government from continuing to act fairly and playing a constructive role in taken difficult decisions to tackle the deficit we inherited in 2010 but, despite the pressure that deficit has placed on the public finances, we have always sought to listen and provide additional resources.
So when I and others protested about the increase in business rates in England as a result of revaluation, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced substantial financial support in the Budget to relieve the burden. efforts to restore power-sharing at Stormont.
The Conservatives are committed to the Good Friday Agreement and its successors, and to governing in the interests of the whole community in Northern Ireland. The outcome of the current talks process rests largely with its elected leaders.
Moreover, Westminster parties have often worked with Northern Irish MPs yet still made a positive contribution to peace. John Major played a pivotal role yet at times he depended on Ulster Unionist MPs.
I would remind those seeking to demonise the DUP that its late founder, Dr Ian Paisley, was praised by Hillary Clinton as a towering figure in the peace process.
The DUP made difficult compromises to secure the political settlement in Northern Ireland, taking the painful decision to sit in government alongside former terrorists.
As The Troubles recede, we should not forget the debt of gratitude we owe the DUP and other Northern Ireland parties for all that they were prepared to do for peace and reconciliation in these islands.
‘The £1bn to Northern Ireland is a good thing for the UK as a whole’