Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“It is for the best if the Stormont talks collapse this week.
“It is only when pursuit of mandatory coalition – a system that will never work – is abandoned that there is any prospect of moving to anything durable. The worst outcome would be another sticking plaster stunt.
“I believe the public are largely ahead of the politicians in recognising this Stormont as a busted flush. Going on trying to patch up what can never work is only adding to public frustration. There is a realisation among many that at the heart of the failure of this Stormont is the unpalatable fact that Sinn Fein has never been in Stormont to make Northern Ireland work – quite the opposite. So, a system which can only function with Sinn Fein at the heart of government is doomed. Indeed, it guarantees the politics of ransom that we’ve experienced throughout this year.
“Hard as it might be for those wedded to the Belfast Agreement structures, it is only when there is acceptance that mandatory coalition has failed that other possibilities open up, like voluntary coalition, a corporate Assembly, legislative devolution or some combination drawing together strands from each.
“So, the failure of talks and mandatory coalition needs to be turned into opportunity for fresh thinking among those at all interested in good government in Northern Ireland.”