Stephen Nicholl

Following the release of the draft Withdrawal Agreement Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was asked about the impact on the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the DUP and the Conservative Party. It was noted that not all the promised funding had yet been provided and may be lost. Sir Jeffrey replied that in such a scenario the DUP could recoup the funds by negotiation with the Government on a vote by vote basis. Since the 2007 St Andrews Agreement the DUP have reduced unionist politics in Northern Ireland to a single issue, the DUP must have more seats than Sinn Fein. Irrespective of social policy, economic policy or any other issue, political control due to this one issue is absolute. Ten years of this form of politics has delivered a party whose arrogance and complete rejection of normal politics has transformed the world’s impression of unionism. Believing the Union is protected by the principle of consent in the Belfast Agreement, the DUP have played fast and loose with probity, gov

“We can afford it” A simple enough phrase intended to assure those listening that financial arrangements are sound and in good order. Except that on its own the phrase contains none of the detail required to determine the voracity of the statement. For example, I can afford a Rolls Royce. If I were to arrive home this evening in a Rolls I could, in response to my wife’s inevitable quizzical look, state “We can afford it”. She will of course seek further clarification at which point I can point out that by not paying for heating oil, electric, rates, holidays, telephone etc. the car is easily affordable. After a very short discussion, led by her, on the nature of affordability the car will be returned to dealership forthwith. I won’t pick up a Rolls Royce tonight because I understand a very basic governance and financial management rule, whether at home, in a company boardroom or a council chamber, when someone says “we can afford it” the response is not “great” the proper res

Unionism is facing its own existential crisis and must learn how to come to terms with it. Put simply the Democratic Unionist Party represent a clear threat to the very union they purport to uphold. In May 1974 then Prime Minister Harold Wilson used the term “spongers” to describe unionists involved in the UWC strike. Today it is a term that many in the rest of the UK would apply to what the DUP consider robust negotiations.   Losing the goodwill of our fellow UK citizens at a time when Northern Ireland’s position in the UK is the principle barrier to many achieving the Brexit they aspire to cannot be considered a strategic position to take. The DUP constantly refer to the principle of consent underpinned in the Belfast Agreement, an agreement they had no hand in, yet they miss the point that while people are free to make their own determination others are free to try and persuade them of one view or the other. Ignoring this point is central to the risks attached to their threa

There is a saying, “never look a gift horse in the mouth”. It’s an old saying and suggests that people should not question or be ungrateful for something they are receiving free. This is Sunday, she wasn’t a gift horse, but she illustrates the point I want to make. The cost of keeping Sunday over many years is the same whether she cost money initially or was free. There are vets fees, blacksmith fees, stabling costs, transport costs, haylage, pony nuts and the cost of replacing tack. Local authorities take an interesting approach to a gift horse, they are always welcomed whether free or as a highly subsidised purchase. Of course a horse needs a paddock costing say £20,000 but if you can get 4 paddocks for £60,000 then the unit price is £15,000 and better value for money. It also needs a stable, but if you have 4 paddocks you have room for more stables and more horses, so just in case more gift horses appear, you build more stables. More stables and more horses mean

Climate of fear in parts of Ballymena must be brought to an end Ulster Unionist Councillor Stephen Nicholl has called on police, courts and agencies such as the Housing Executive to bring to an end the climate of fear created by the presence of drug dealers in parts of Ballymena. “It’s becoming apparent that drug dealers are becoming more brazen in their activities and as a result local communities are living in fear of the crime and anti-social behaviour that accompanies their activities. The police and other statutory agencies are well aware of the dealers and suppliers as well as the heart-breaking results of their activities. We see daily the effect of their dealing on those addicted to drugs but less obvious is the impact on local communities where violence and the threat of violence goes hand in hand with the dealers activities. As a society we have a responsibility to protect the innocent; that means a robust policing response where intelligence indicates illegal

“As a council we approach the setting of the rates for 2018/2019 in a crisis, albeit one that is temporarily deferred due to the extensive use of council reserves. The loss of rates income due to the reduction in energy production at Kilroot and Ballylumford is estimated at £1.3 million next year and £2 million every subsequent year. It is also fair to say that there were significant issues with council’s budgetary process even before the Kilroot announcement. Council had a target of raising £1.5 million through efficiency savings in 2018/19, with a loss of £1.3 million we realistically must save £2.5 million to replace the reserves used this year. We cannot assume that there will not be significant losses in future years. During the meeting to set the rates Cllr Gaston identified savings of £1 million and sought to use these to have the rates rise reduced. The cost savings he identified are broadly reasonable and should be taken forward. But they are not enough, the propos