Speech by TUV Downshire East council candidate Stewart Ferris.
When I think of our forefathers who fought in many wars with terrible conditions I ask what motivated them. They fought for king and queen, for our country and to remain British. They did this in the common quest for good and democracy. Having given all and succeeding they would be appalled if they were then told you are to be ruled under a foreign juristriction with no say and no input.
In this Province many brave men and women were brutally murdered by cowardly republican terrorists. Many did their duty in the security forces to uphold the law, to defeat terrorism, to ensure that this place remained part of the United Kingdom. I cannot speak highly enough of the sacrifices made by them all for us.
I follow a website for survivors and victims as I’m sure many of you do. It tells you what happened on this day throughout the years. When it comes to truth and justice , they have been let down badly. How many enquiries have we had into their murders? You know the answer. How about the families of:
18 soldiers killed at Narrow Water?
9 police officers killed in the Newry mortar attack?
12 people killed at La Mon?
8 people killed at Teabane?
And the many more murdered and maimed, their lives and that of their families destroyed?
The perpetrators of the crimes run freely, many you will know them, some have lucrative businesses, some were in government.
How did we let this happen?
What we need to broadcast everyday is that Sinn Fein is controlled by the Provisional IRA. They are directed by them and if you followed the Storey funeral they were there walking in in the funeral cortège.
They are one of the richest criminal /terrorist cartels in Europe. These are the people that spout about justice, equality and a shared Ireland.
I for one will not stand idly by whilst republicans try to justify their deeds and rewrite history for their agenda.
I can assure you one thing, I will not be supping tea at their table.
In relation to the Protocol one of the aspects that is effecting me in farming are the new rules. We breed pedigree livestock and we import/ export sheep to and from mainland GB. This requires cumbersome paperwork, mostly done by our vets but at a cost. If we don’t sell our animals on the mainland they cannot return home for 3 months. Similarly we cannot buy animals from the mainland unless they meet strict controls and a 3 month quarantine. These animals must be checked at Poots’s Posts in Larne. There is no unfettered access. These rules effect everyone regardless of your political allegiance.
When I look at the A1 Main Dublin road , thousands of goods and people travel from the EU daily to Northern Ireland. No checks , no paperwork, free access.
So why are we treated differently?
It’s not all about the Protocol. There are many other important daily challenges with regard to health, education, roads , accountability and many more which we will do and do on a daily business.
As for the other unionist parties, we have the rudderless boat of the UUP. Their negotiating skills are, pay the man ,sign the legal document and we’ll work out a deal later.
How many tests and promises have the DUP made? I’ve lost count. Where are their achievements? All I can see is the ever ending republican shopping list.
We must give and they take.
So why the TUV?
What you see, what we say is what you’ll get. We will state it clearly before, during and after any election campaign in our election manifesto.
No lies, no false promises. In the TUV you will get the truth, that is our strength , no weakness and that is where we will stand firm and united.
We will expose the spin.
Now as for the spin, when I seen our prime minister Rishi Sunak at the Coca Cola factory he reminded me of something like a banty rooster on steroids .