Jonathan Buckley
Upper Bann · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Sinn Féin's representatives in the European Parliament voted against proposals aimed at strengthening the management of illegal immigration and facilitating the return of failed asylum applicants — those who entered countries illegally — to designated return hubs outside the European Union.”
“Last year, Sinn Féin, alongside the open-border brigade of the Alliance Party and the SDLP, voted against my motion in the Assembly that called for action to address concerns about illegal and uncontrolled immigration.”
“People want an immigration system that is controlled, credible and properly enforced whilst ensuring that the genuine, heartfelt, lived experience and concerns of local citizens are at the heart of the debate. That is not an unreasonable position to take.”
“I highlight yet another example of a political party claiming to represent the views of people across the island of Ireland yet taking a position that is fundamentally out of step with the concerns being expressed by a vast number of people across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, indeed, the rest of the United Kingdom, and t…”
“The Minister is aware and is, in fact, on record as having suggested that organised drug crime is happening in prisons. I have previously raised that matter in the Assembly.”
“Minister, I am sure that you agree that we cannot continue to leave residents in limbo. There has to be some progress on the matter. A number of unfinished developments have been lying stagnant for a long time, but the number is so small that it would not require that great an amount of money to ensure adequate facilities for residents, e…”
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“when he expressed his personal experiences in relation to a threat on his life. Is that the same Ms Bradshaw who has taken so much issue with the term "breathe"? I argue that it is not. For those reasons and given that it is a curtailment of political free speech, the Democratic Unionist Party will vote against the motion today.”
“constitute an "unreasonable and excessive personal attack"? Mr Gaston himself has said that it was ill judged, and he has apologised. Do I count that as an "unreasonable and excessive personal attack"? No, I do not; in fact, in the House, Ms Bradshaw is on record calling Members liars. She is on record telling a Member to:”
“She asked for clarification of whether recent media commentary that suggested that the IRA army council influences Sinn Féin's priorities was relevant to the work of the Executive Office. I think that it is a fair question, but it is not in the remit of the Executive Committee. There was no complaint from the members. <BR /> <BR />We then look at Mr Gaston's comment in relation to rule 15. Does the comment:”
“It was a low point for the scrutiny of the Assembly, and it is something that all Members should reflect on when it comes to training and conducting scrutiny in Committees. Legal advice was then given. Was that legal advice provided to the First Minister beforehand? All those questions, in the context of that Committee, were important to the Committee's deliberations. <BR /> <BR />There needs to be an element of flexibility when scrutinising as serious an issue as a failure of safeguarding in this place. With respect to rule 13, which talks about improper interference with the performance of the Assembly's functions, and Mr Gaston asking questions outside the Committee remit, what about the very first question from the Chair, Ms Bradshaw?”
“I will not. I have already given way, so I will not get an extra minute. <BR /> <BR />We have not seen a case like this before. The scrutiny of the Committee was absolutely disastrous. It was a stain on the scrutiny ability of the Assembly that there was a serious issue of safeguarding; a Minister — in this case, the First Minister — was brought before the Committee; and the Committee descended into a free-for-all. What led to that is key. There was a pre-meeting of the Committee Chair and the witness, with no prior knowledge of the Committee members. I think that it took place 10 minutes before the meeting commenced. That was shambolic. That was a disaster in respect of chairing ability.”
“Because it has a responsibility for safeguarding. That is an issue that should matter to every Member in the Assembly. However, as usual, today we are told, "Say nothing. See nothing". <BR /> <BR />It will not wash that the relationship between Mr Gaston and the Committee Chair, Ms Bradshaw, has evidently fallen down. It is clear for anybody who watched the Committee that it was absolutely shambolic.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Again, here we have it. We are not even allowed to debate the context of the report. Members, you are not judge, jury and executioner. Every Member, regardless of their party, has an electoral mandate to be in this place and to speak for the people whom they represent. We may not like the words that they use or the positions that they take, but they are entitled to put those points across. <BR /> <BR />As I was saying before the points of order, that was despite the First Minister being photographed several feet from Mr McMonagle in this very building. The second point — the matter is on the record — is that, potentially, the First Minister had misled the Committee as to when she learned that her party staff had provided two references. That is the context. Why was that before the TEO Committee?”
“He was later sent to prison. The reason for the First Minister being brought to the scrutiny Committee was the outrage from Members across the House that, potentially, the First Minister had misled the House and misled the scrutiny Committee when she claimed that she had no knowledge of McMonagle's whereabouts and had had no contact with him since his arrest.”
“At the outset, I say that today's debate is a complete and utter waste of time for the Assembly. An hour and a half in which we could be discussing health, education or roads is being spent adjudicating on a spat between two Members — a breakdown in the relationship between Members from two different political parties. <BR /> <BR />Talk about not seeing the wood for the trees. What was the context for the Committee meeting in question? It has not been talked about at all by the Committee Chair. Michael McMonagle, a former Sinn Féin press officer, who worked for the party in media roles and at Stormont, had been charged with and later pleaded guilty to a series of child sexual offences, including an attempt to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with children. Those offences happened between 2020 and 2021.”
“This is one of the last questions, and it is fair to say that the smell of burning rubber is still fresh in the air following the Minister's handbrake turn. We, as Members, will forgive him not for the dangerous driving in the run-up to this but for the direction in which he has ended up. <BR /> <BR />Anybody with a titter of wit realised that an 80%-plus average increase for hotels and a 50%-plus average increase for pubs was totally unsustainable. Does the Minister now accept that basing rateable value for pubs and hotels on turnover rather than profitability and not including debts incurred is not a sustainable model for our hospitality sector, which is now largely propping up our high street?”
“<BR /> <BR />My call to the Sinn Féin Front Bench and to its Back-Benchers is this: no more division and no more distraction. Get on with delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. We are all sick of the sideshow. We want to see real delivery. Are you up to it?”
“We have heard those promises before. Sinn Féin told its supporters that the border poll would be delivered by 2016. Mind you, it said that in 1974, when it said that it would be a year of victory. Then, it was promised again in 2025. As each deadline passes, more promises fade. Each time they are wheeled out, more scrutiny arises as to Sinn Féin's failures. It is the politics of distraction, with Sinn Féin constantly putting its own narrow ideological drive before the interests of ordinary people. When the pressures mount, the failures become impossible to ignore. The people are calling for action. They are calling for the Assembly to get on and deal with the real issues that are affecting them in education, health and infrastructure. Those are the issues that unite the people of Northern Ireland.”
“Communities in every county are seeing their services being stretched beyond breaking point. They see no urgency, no delivery and a Finance Minister who seems to have lost his grasp of the financial realities. Yet, the First Minister is telling those people — our constituents — that a divisive border poll is now the priority. How about the Sinn Féin First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, tells her Ministers in Infrastructure, the Economy and Finance to get their acts together and deal with people's priorities or she appoints competent Ministers who can do just that?”
“Sinn Féin-led Departments are in chaos. There are pothole pandemics. We have a Minister for the Economy who seems more intent on losing than creating jobs for the Northern Ireland economy and a Minister of Finance who has had to do a reverse ferret on a rates increase that would have decimated the hospitality sector. As sure as day follows night, however, once again, the Sinn Féin First Minister is calling for an Irish unity referendum. Once again, people right across Northern Ireland are asking the same question: why this and why now? <BR /> <BR />Half a million people are on a waiting list for a consultant's appointment, while families are driving on roads that are so riddled with potholes that they resemble those of the Third World.”
“The Member for Strangford is absolutely right to point out the blocker that waste water infrastructure causes to local business development. It is not the only blocker. With that in mind, what discussions has the Minister had with her Sinn Féin counterpart in the Department for Infrastructure about a totally inept planning service that has business applications, both local and international, lingering for years? Surely it is not too much to ask that two Sinn Féin Ministers work together to sort the issue out?”
“The Sinn Féin Economy Minister is not long home from a £15,000 taxpayer-funded trip to China, during which she met the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. That organisation sounds very benign, but the US Government have banned their government organisations from interacting with it because of espionage. However, our Economy Minister is happy to tow up alongside those communist dictators. That country — we do not hear anything about human rights abuses in this regard — harvests organs from its citizens, puts its minorities in forced labour camps, and persecutes Christians. The double standards and hypocrisy know no bounds. It is damaging to job investment. Be assured that Sinn Féin will be held accountable.”
“There was plenty of bluster, but there were no hard answers. The Speaker talked earlier about Ministers not explaining their actions to the House. What about their not explaining their actions to a scrutiny Committee? By the end of the following day, the Minister's note of that meeting had been released to the BBC, but she has still not provided clarity on her actions to that scrutiny Committee. I have submitted further detailed scrutiny questions on the issue. I will submit FOI requests and whatever it takes to get to the bottom of why those international jobs — such jobs have gone to Dublin and London — did not come to Belfast. <BR /> <BR />We thought that Sinn Féin would have learned the lesson about what global posturing means for international investment, but it seems not.”
“One of the most important tasks of any Economy Minister around the world is to ensure that their country is a welcome place for investment and job creation, in order to ensure that their citizens have the best chance to thrive in any sector. However, Sinn Féin's foreign policy outlook is damaging the Northern Ireland economy. Who would have thought that aligning yourself with despot regimes, giving cover to global terror gangs and supporting hard-left communist posturing would be so unattractive to international investors? <BR /> <BR />Last week at the Economy Committee, it was revealed that major US financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald withdrew an offer of 300 jobs for Northern Ireland last year. The Minister was in quite a tailspin when she was asked about the reasons for that withdrawal.”
“The Minister is right to highlight the far-reaching consequences of the introduction of a new empathy test. Perhaps we should put it to the test. How would the Minister rate the Alliance Party's Andrew Muir on that empathy? He is a man who continues to demonise the agricultural community and wage war on their livelihoods and who recently received a no-confidence motion from the Ulster Farmers' Union. How is that for empathy?”
“The Minister says that animal welfare is one of his key priorities, but how does that stand up to scrutiny when we continue to see thousands of otherwise happy and healthy dairy cows and other cattle being sent to slaughter because of positive TB reactions? Will the Minister deal with the wildlife issue and ensure that those animals have the welfare status that they deserve?”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does he agree that it is telling that, despite its being a subject in the debate, that particular point was not addressed by the Minister? To whom did the Department write? Who owns the billboard?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way. Minister, is that a play on words? Are you saying that, because the messaging on the billboard has changed, the billboard does not exist? Is that what you are saying?”
“I call on the Minister to use common sense, to abide by the rule of law, to reveal to the House who those letters from the Department were issued to — were they issued to members of Sinn Féin? — and to endeavour to have an illegal billboard, which could have safety implications, removed and put this matter behind us.”
“Every time that we come to the House seeking accountability on issues pertaining to particular Departments, we get the answer, "Not me, guv. Saw nothing, heard nothing, will do nothing". Our constituents demand for us to be treated in the same way that we would have them treated. "One rule for thee and another for me" is simply not acceptable.”
“I will happily give way. I can assure you that, if there were a DUP-erected billboard, I would know who erected it. Does anyone on the Benches opposite really want to take the rule of law seriously or the issue of enforcement seriously? It is ridiculous. <BR /> <BR />We have to get real: Sinn Féin's defence is always the same, and we have seen it here today. It is that they knew nothing, and they claim it with expert precision. If any Members watched the recent Disney series, 'Say Nothing', they will have seen that, at the end, there is a potent point that Gerry Adams was never a member of the IRA. I contend that, if there were to be a new documentary, the disclaimer at the end of the Sinn Féin statement would be not "say nothing" but "see nothing".”
“Let us clear that up: Minister, who did you issue those letters to? Who did the Department issue the letters to? On the Front Bench today are two Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh MLAs. Did your Department issue them to the man who is sitting beside you?”
“As Mr Stewart said, we would not have had to have the debate today if there had been mature decision-making before it reached this stage. <BR /> <BR />The irony here is that we have a Sinn Féin-led Department, led by a Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh MLA, who fails to address an illegal billboard within her own constituency that has her party's logo, at times, on it. That is beyond parody, Members. Could any other political party say with a straight face, if it knew that there was a billboard in a constituency with its party details on it, that it did not know who erected it? That is the glaring hypocrisy in today's motion. <BR /> <BR />I read with interest the Committee letter, and I will focus on a point. It states:”
“At the outset, I say, "Congratulations" to the new Member for Newry and Armagh. I wish him well in his new role. I have worked with him and, indeed, his predecessor for a long time. He will put in sterling work in the Chamber. <BR /> <BR />At the very heart of the motion, which, I imagine, is serious for everybody, is the rule of law. It has already been said that enforcement forms a critical part of the planning process. Many Members have cited reasons for people having been caught up, whether it is businesses or homeowners, in the enforcement process. I understand the narrative that there are many important issues that we could be discussing today and we end up discussing a Sinn Féin billboard, but the point is important, because it is about accountability.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. I agree with him: the debate is not about the particular political messaging on the billboard. Does he accept that the debate is about the size, scale and location of the billboard and the glaring hypocrisy of the party of the Minister in control, which seems to have some association with it? Whether that is ownership, we still have not found out.”
“Minister, from policing to our courts to our prisons, public confidence in the Department of Justice is at an all-time low. Do you feel that you are still up to the job?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. There are many ways in which we can increase biodiversity and wildlife in Northern Ireland, but I do not believe that the Minister is considering some of the measures that would not affect agricultural land use, such as managing wildfires by controlled burning, managing predators in conjunction with the farming and rural community, given that we have seen the population of some indigenous species, such as snipe, lapwing and red grouse, decimated and managing the badger population, which has spread TB and had an impact on other species. Will the Minister therefore talk to rural communities and farmers about potential solutions, or is it just a case of talk and no action?”
“On behalf of everyone who had the honour of knowing Blake and to encounter that ray of positivity, thank you for a life well lived.”
“For more than a decade, Blake was an esteemed member of Portadown True Blues flute band. To his band family, Blake was a shining light, a friend, a brother and a source of pride whose presence will never be forgotten. Those who saw over the weekend the outpouring of love from the wider band fraternity will know that that was nothing short of remarkable. Blake's wheels were recognisable to anybody who was on the parade. Whether in local towns or at major demonstrations, Blake was always there. <BR /> <BR />Above all, Blake loved his family. To his proud parents, Christine and Andrew, and to his adoring sister, Pixie, who stood by him every step of the way, I extend my deepest condolences on behalf of the Assembly. Your love for Blake was foundational and was a strength.”
“Blake was, in every sense, an inspirational figure. From a young age, he lived with a rare and complex medical disorder, facing challenges that most of us can scarcely comprehend. Over the course of his life, Blake endured hundreds of medical procedures, yet, through every trial, every hospital stay and every difficult day with his courageous family by his side, Blake met that adversity with extraordinary courage, resilience and grace. His bravery was humbling to anybody who watched him. His strength was nothing short of remarkable. <BR /> <BR />Blake's life was filled with passions and purpose. He was a devoted superfan of Belfast Giants, and, in turn, he was deeply cherished by players, coaches and supporters alike. His love for the team reflected his love for life: wholehearted, loyal and full of joy.”
“I will use my time this morning to pay tribute to the life of a remarkable young man from County Armagh, Blake McCaughey. On Saturday, I read the tribute from his mother, Christine:”
“Does the First Minister agree that language such as a "parent who has given birth" will never replace our precious mothers — not in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in the Republic of Ireland or in any sane, sensible country?”
“Stonewall has argued that children as young as two can be transexual and that workplaces should replace the word "mother" with the term "parent who has given birth".”
“If anything, he has held it in outright contempt. From day 1, Alliance was a rigorous implementer of a Northern Ireland protocol that classed Northern Ireland in trading terms as a foreign entity. From day 1, Mr Tennyson and his colleagues in Alliance ran to collaborate with people who wanted to punish Northern Ireland because of a democratic vote that happened nationwide. Although Alliance, the SDLP and Sinn Féin lament the potential loss of sovereignty in Greenland, Mr Tennyson cannot spare one single thought for the consequences of the protocol here for the people of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />The House deserves consistency and honesty, and it will get that from me at each and every turn.”
“I stand with them in their belief that a strong nation must have strong borders. All those issues fall short of Mr Tennyson's world view, but here is the point: I can agree with the US Administration on all those issues yet still hold firm to the position that Greenland, the territory of a NATO ally, is not hostile territory for the United States and its people. It is for Greenlanders and the people of the Kingdom of Denmark to decide their constitutional future. <BR /> <BR />Here is where the irony is almost breathtaking. The knock-off Emmanuel Macron, Mr Tennyson, waxes lyrical about Greenland's sovereignty, yet tell me this: has anyone ever heard the Alliance Party, or, indeed, Mr Tennyson, show one ounce of concern for Northern Ireland's sovereignty? I have certainly not heard him take that position.”
“Members will forgive me for thinking that, having listened to the Alliance Party's contribution, I had stumbled across a foreign affairs seminar at a Sinn Féin party conference. Apparently, in the world view of Eóin Tennyson, unionism is in some way implicated in the United States' position on Greenland. <BR /> <BR />Let me be absolutely clear. There are many issues on which many of my constituents and I agree with our friends and neighbours in the US Administration. I make no apology for saying so. I proudly support their strong stance on gender and the protection of women's safe spaces and their ensuring that men no longer compete in women's sport. I stand with them in their pursuit of peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia alongside their NATO allies.”
“However, no sane unionist would forfeit the right of Mr Gaston to eloquently put forward his point in the Chamber and of the Ulster Unionist Party, the DUP or others to challenge, fight for change and ensure that we can prosper. I can tell you with categorical assurance that no such challenge would happen under Keir Starmer and the Labour Party. The presence of five, six or seven unionists at Westminster has not changed that very opinion.”
“<BR /> <BR />That vote handed over power on the customs code, so cost that is associated with the new arrangement is on Alliance, the SDLP and Sinn Féin. You cannot shout about the challenges that businesses face. There is some attempt to do that by the SDLP, and it is welcome that it recognises the challenges. On the other hand, your actions are how you will know them. You voted for those very arrangements over which there is no democratic scrutiny. <BR /> <BR />I will move on to the points that were made by Mr Gaston. In the Chamber, he and I agree on many points, and I have outlined some of them in regard to the arrangements that exist. He talked about the leverage that was lost with the return of the institutions. I have often pondered that very question.”
“I will, if I have time. I want to develop this point. It was warned in that debate that the Irish Sea border that existed on 10 December 2024 would harden and that consumers and businesses would continue to face challenges. Let us look at some of them: issues with veterinary medicine supplies; a cliff edge for new car registrations; and a reduction in over-the-counter medicines. We could go on and on. Many of the issues on the list that I read out on 10 December 2024 remain unresolved. A constitutional debate can be had because Members — I include the Alliance Party Members in that — have constitutional preferences and opinions, but the debate today is purely about the challenges that businesses and consumers continue to face.”
“<BR /> <BR />Moving on to the chronological order of events, there was a vote in this place on 10 December 2024 on whether to hand over democratic scrutiny and decision-making over more than 300 areas of law to a foreign entity. That vote was passed at the behest of Alliance, the SDLP and Sinn Féin. Not one single unionist put their name to such arrangements.”
“I thank the Member. I will say, "Come on, big fella", because here is the point: the DUP has been consistent in its position. The DUP has always believed in the concept of Brexit; perhaps you have not been so clear and consistent, Mr Kearney. I look at statements that Mr Kearney has made in the past — they stretch from Venezuela to the other side of the world — and there are plenty of statements about his approach to the European Union. The sucker punch is right back on you, Mr Kearney, because the arrangements that you supported have ensured that businesses and consumers have reduced choice and increased bureaucracy and continue to suffer. We will therefore take no lectures from a chief architect of that.”
“I absolutely will, because I hope that I do not have to say, "Come on, lads, you got what you voted for" to Mr Kearney.”
“You deliberately undermined your sovereign Government to ensure that a deal with the European Union hammered businesses and consumer choice in Northern Ireland. That was a choice made by you. So right back at you. Come on, lads, you got what you voted for.”
“That delivered a result that some Members may not have agreed with, and they are totally entitled to argue against it. However, in looking at that chronological history, and to ensure that we do not inject the snobbery as we often do in this place, let us look at what we have today, because every vote since the Brexit referendum — the vote by the people — has the imprint of political decision makers. Therefore, when Alliance comes to the House to chastise and say, "Come on, lads, you got what you voted for", I say right back, "Look in the mirror", because, come on, lads and ladies, you got exactly what you voted for; whether it was shouting for the rigorous implementation of agreements such as the protocol, which, we knew, would hammer our businesses, you called for it. You went to Dublin to call for its imposition.”
“Mr Kearney has never come to the House with a clean, clear desire to address the issues that affect our consumers and businesses. <BR /> <BR />That gets us to the second part of the motion, which most Members from across the House have taken issue with: how did we get here? Previously at Committee, I used a CS Lewis quote, and I will use it again today because it is very relevant. CS Lewis talked about "chronological snobbery", and we see it every day in the House, particularly when we discuss the issue of Brexit. It may come as a shock to some Members, but Brexit was not a vote by the DUP. I know that that is a constant accusation. It was not a vote by the TUV or the Conservatives. It was a democratic vote by the British people. It was one of the largest democratic exercises in our sovereign history.”
“That is becoming a common, everyday occurrence. Businesses already face many problems in relation to the complexities and bureaucracy placed on them by the Windsor framework and their trading position, but consumers are also acutely facing the challenge. We already know about the reduction in choice for the consumer. When Mr Kearney spoke, for a split second, in his first line, I thought that he was reading from one of my scripts, but then came the "but", and Mr Kearney, who is the chief architect of political posturing, reverted to type and wanted to reassure us that it is not about constitutional issues or sovereignty, when every motion that he has brought to the House has been about exactly that — EU offices, EU observer status.”