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Northern Ireland Bill

: It is hard for the people of Northern Ireland to understand exactly what the Government are about. The Government’s statements should contain greater clarity about their real intentions. I regret that this debate began with the leader of the SDLP trying to put blame on certain parties. He suggested that the DUP was going into the Assembly with the aim of ensuring that it is broken up and brought to an end on 26 November. That is not my brand of politics. Down the years, I have attended all the talks to which I have been invited. I was not invited to some of them and my party was treated as a leper, but we always attended—and made our case as strongly as we could—when we were invited. I have no intention of taking my party to the Assembly in order to get the Assembly shut down on 26 November, but the leader of the SDLP missed the point completely. Yesterday, it was accepted on both sides of the House that all parties involved in the talks must agree on the question of democracy. We cannot have people at those talks who want to be members of the Government of Northern Ireland yet stick to their terrorism or to their criminal practices. That was set out firmly yesterday and it was endorsed by the Secretary of State, who agreed that that must be the keystone to the Assembly. However, if that keystone is not put in place, we cannot enter into discussions with people who have made it known that they are not prepared to be there on the same conditions as everyone else. I resent the suggestion by the leader of the SDLP that the DUP will join the Assembly to get it closed down. The people who will close down the Assembly will be the ones who do not accept the rules, which are straight and plain—everyone should accept that the Assembly will be a democracy and that Northern Ireland will be ruled like any other part of the UK. Terrorists, those who advocate terrorism and those who are engaged in criminality will not be able to take office. If they are elected by their people, that is all well and good, but they will not be able to hold office until they keep to the rules. If we do not make that clear, we might as well all pack up today. That point must be spelled out over and over again, although one would have thought that it would be taken as read in this United Kingdom. I resent the suggestion by the SDLP leader that we would be happy to close down the Assembly. This is not about satisfying a particular party; this is about seeking to obtain satisfaction for everyone who is dedicated to democracy. As I have said, I want to see everyone in Northern Ireland enjoying the same privileges, rights, freedoms and enjoyment of democracy as me. That is what we must aim for. Many aspects of the Assembly are strange. The Standing Orders of the Assembly when it was brought into being were very similar to these orders. In fact, I accuse the Secretary of State of copying those orders, which the UUP and others accepted, so he has reproduced what was foisted on us. A new creature may be being formed, but its orders are almost identical to the previous ones. I have not had time to examine the orders because I am awaiting a report from the fellow who is supposed to work for me, but it will be interesting to see the comparison. I note that the Secretary of State is not holding up his hand in the confessional box and confessing that the orders are new.