Speaking at a TUV meeting in East Belfast last night Jim Allister said:
“Some have tried to tell the Unionist electorate that Sinn Fein are committed to democracy and the rule of law. Yet there are a number of undeniable facts arising from the murder of Mr McGuigan.
“Firstly, the IRA as the Chief Constable has made clear continues to exist. Therefore the IRA’s supposed disbandment was a con.
“Secondly, the IRA have guns. Therefore the IRA’s supposed decommissioning was a con.
“Thirdly, the IRA reserve the right to shoot people. Therefore the IRA’s supposed commitment to the rule of law was a con.
“The entire peace process has been exposed for what it is – the appeasement of armed Republicanism in case they go back to “the bad old days”.
“Let’s not beat about the bush here. It is only because of violence and the threat of violence that Northern Ireland has a rigged form of devolution completely alien to the rest of the United Kingdom and indeed the democratic world.
“I commend the UUP for abandoning the sham which is current failed executive. It has been most entertaining to watch the DUP flounder in their attempts to justify remaining in government with the IRA’s political wing.
“We were told that they were going to bring forward an exclusion motion yet when the business committee met yesterday no such motion was tabled. Instead Peter Weir wanted MLAs to have an extra month’s holiday!
“The DUP have called for talks. More platitudes.
“Words, as the murder showed, are meaningless in Northern Ireland politics – unless of course they are on an OTR letter.
“Do you ever think we could reach a point where we should just look past the Jesuitry and actually deal with the terrorists?
“And as welcome as the UUP move is I am given to wondering why that party suddenly developed a conscience about IRA murders.
“Why did they remain round the executive table when the IRA brutally beat Paul Quinn to death in South Armagh?
“Why did they stay when the then Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy told Newsnight that he had “spoken to the IRA in the area” about the issue?
“Everyone knows that the IRA never went away and every Unionist is aware of exactly who they were sharing power with.
“The events of the last few weeks have totally vindicated the stand which TUV have taken. They have shown that we were right to keep using the title Sinn Fein/IRA long after other Unionists stopped doing so.
“It is time for both the DUP and UUP to face the reality that the current form of devolution in Northern Ireland has failed. We need real democracy and a system which can deliver for all the people of our Province.”