Statement by Samuel Morrison, TUV Lagan Valley:
“Yet again the people of Northern Ireland are being told that the devolved government is on the brink of collapse over welfare reform. We have a government that is so dysfunctional that it cannot agree a budget, proving that the Stormont House Agreement was a phoney deal.
“This groundhog day scenario cannot continue. The failure to deal with welfare reform is already, at this very moment, resulting in money that should be spent on health, education, roads, etc, being flushed down the toilet in fines and propping up the most expensive welfare arrangements in the entire United Kingdom. That cannot continue.
“Sinn Fein’s posturing should come as no surprise as they are not here to give good government; they are there to make Northern Ireland what they claim it to be – a failed state.
“Governments should be formed by a coalition of the willing – those that can agree and command the requisite support. Those that cannot agree should form the opposition. By setting the threshold to be in government so low, having five parties in the executive will forever fail to deliver.
“The system of government is at fault. That is at the heart of the dysfunctionality. Until that is resolved then there will be crisis after crisis, threat after threat.
“My message to the Unionists who continue to prop up the failed Belfast Agreement system is this: Look at how low this devolution experiment has got. It is time to put it out of its misery and insert some basic democratic standards.
“TUV believes the alternative can be achieved. Let us move in that direction.”