Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“It is certainly no surprise to me that the Haass process is putting pressure on unionists. It was never designed to do otherwise. All such international involvement has the same tilt, because the Dublin/London/Washington nexus, which drives the process, is consciously anti-unionist. It was the same when Mitchell was the frontman. Nothing has changed under Haass. The only difference is that the DUP leader was foolish enough to join with his government buddy McGuinness to call in Haass!
“Now, those who still justify and laud the terror of their IRA are under no pressure, but unionists are. Such perversity! I hear no mention, even, of the basic necessity to revise the definition of ‘victim’ to end the obscene equivalence between victim and victim-maker. A process which can’t even address that basic human rights issue is one not worth having.
“As for other proposals, the more absurd the proposition the better Haass seems to like it. In the absurdity stakes it doesn’t get much dafter than talking about a licensing system to fly flags. If you want to further proliferate flag flying then such unpoliceable lunacy is the path to tread. Bad enough to retain a renamed Parades Commission to impede parading rights, without adding to its dictatorial powers the right to decree where and when flags will be flown.
“Unionists involved in the Haass process need to rediscover their dignity and, instead of getting sucked into a further saga of concessions, bring it to a close.”