Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“The fictional claim by the DUP’s Paul Givan today that Irish “belongs to all of us” deserves to be challenged, regardless of how broadcasters may wish to fawn over his comments.
“However, to claim that the Irish language belongs to us all is simply not supported by the facts.
“It does not feature on the curriculum of controlled schools. There is no demand for the erection of Irish language signage in majority Unionist area and where it has been erected without the consent of local people it has resulted in increased tension.
“But commitment to Gaelic is a core component of the Irish nationalist political identity regardless as to whether or not they can actually speak the language The objective of Irish language legislation is to use the status of Gaelic within the legislation as an ‘official language’ to promote the Gaelicisation of Northern Ireland as part of the nationalist strategy for an all-Ireland – the political objective that defines what it is to be an Irish nationalist.
“Tellingly, Ireland’s Future have warmly welcomed Paul Givan’s comments tweeting:
“As we look to the future & a new, united Ireland, this is positive from DUP’s Paul Givan”.
“Or as Sinn Fein once put it less delicately: “Every word spoken in Irish is another bullet in the freedom struggle”.
“So what are we to make of Mr Givan’s comments today? Perhaps they were about playing to his audience but I suspect they may be about much more. Is he laying the groundwork for the increased prevalence of Irish in Northern Ireland as a result of the legislation which will soon be up and running, administered via the Executive Office?
“When he tells us that that we should embrace Irish as something which “belongs to all of us” he should perhaps remember the Unionist community will be disenfranchised when it comes to applying for public sector jobs which have Irish as a requirement.”