UUP: testa a testa tra McCallister e Nesbitt

McCallister and Nesbitt outline visions

The two men vying to become Ulster Unionist leader have outlined their visions for the future of the party – John McCallister wants to lead the UUP into opposition, while Mike Nesbitt argues that would be a “backwards step”.

South Down MLA McCallister and Strangford MLA Nesbitt now have just under a fortnight to convince the UUP they should be the man to succeed the outgoing Tom Elliott.

One of the issues that divide them is whether the party should remain in the Executive or go into opposition.

If elected, Mr McCallister will immediately take action to withdraw, however Mr Nesbitt says he would seek to hold a referendum on the issue.

Speaking to UTV, Mr McCallister said: “If I am elected leader we won’t need a referendum and we won’t need to ask anyone if we can go into opposition.

“We won’t need to ask Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness or the Secretary of State, this will be where the Ulster Unionist Party will be going and this will be the direction that I will lead.”

Meanwhile, speaking in a separate interview, Mr Nesbitt told UTV that walking away from power would be a backwards step for the UUP.

He said: “What I am saying is that 14 years on from the Good Friday Agreement we are at a point where it’s a mature political set of institutions, they are not going to collapse.

“So unlike John who wants to walk backwards, I want to walk forwards and have more power in the Assembly. I want to get us back into the House of Commons and I want us to make safe and secure our seat at Westminster.”

The two candidates were also asked about the question of Unionist unity – should the UUP seek to work with the DUP or have greater links in the future?

John McCallister said: “We debate this and the party has a choice at the moment.

“I think unionist unity will drive nationalist unity and we will retrench Northern Ireland into two large voting blocks of them and us and perpetuate that forever, I do not want that for Northern Ireland.”

Mike Nesbitt said: “The problems from before I joined the party that I see is that we have spent too much time on our relationships with others whether it’s the PUP, SDLP, DUP or Conservative Party.

“We have to step back and concentrate on our own relationships.

“Where there is scope for co-operation for example there may be on victims issues, of course we should work with whoever sees it the same way we do because we are about servicing the needs of the people of NI.”

The UUP were once the big players in unionism, calling all the shots at Stormont, but their share of the vote has dwindled in recent years.

Following the May 2011 Assembly elections they only hold one Executive seat – Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy – while the rival DUP dominate.

Asked how they aim to rejuvenate the party’s fortunes, Mr McCallister said the UUP needs to “reconnect” its message with the public.

He said: “When you get out and start listening to people and debating you will then find what is wrong with Northern Ireland.

“We are trying to reconnect people it is not helpful that 45% of our population do not vote or didn’t vote in the last election and that apathy is not good for politics and it is not good for society as a whole.

“It is about reconnecting with voters and giving a fresh vision of where we would leave Northern Ireland.”

Mr Nesbitt said: “We have to learn the lessons of the last 14 years.

“We need to listen and find some humility about going forward but our values are the same as they were previously and those are the values of service to all the people of NI.”

Party members will decide who will lead the UUP at its AGM on 31 March.