Sinn Fein in ‘parades U-turn’
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has accused Sinn Fein of doing a U-turn on the Parades Commission.
He said comments by the party’s Junior Minister Gerry Kelly yesterday represented a total about-face by Sinn Fein.
Mr Donaldson said: “The person who Sinn Fein nominated to sit on Ashdown’s Strategic Review of Parading Group has agreed that the Parades Commission should be replaced.
“Despite this representative consistently reporting back to Sinn Fein as the group developed its report, Gerry Kelly is now saying the Parades Commission must stay. What kind of leadership is this?”
He said the Sinn Fein leadership appeared to be floundering over its position on the way forward.
“It is very clear that Sinn Fein is submerged in confusion with different representatives making conflicting statements.
“They agree one thing inside the room but outside the door they take another position.
“The public demands to know who speaks for Sinn Fein. Has their policy changed and if it has why?”
He again reiterated the DUP’s position that it was republicans who originally tied parades and policing and justice.
The Lagan Valley MLA said: “It was Sinn Fein who first linked the issue of parading with the devolution of policing and justice when they refused to advance the Strategic Review of Parading Report until policing and justice powers had been devolved.
“The DUP’s position on this issue has been completely consistent over several election manifestos.
“The party has not set any new pre-conditions – we have always said that community confidence must exist before the transfer of policing and justice powers.”
