Timothy Gaston
North Antrim · Traditional Unionist Voice · Northern Ireland
“I begin my remarks by putting on record, once again, my thanks to the victims and survivors who have campaigned for many years to bring us to this point today, where the Bill will pass its Final Stage.”
“There is an onus on the Assembly in the next mandate to ensure that the work continues, with a second phase of redress that will consider individualised acknowledgement of the harm and trauma that the birth mothers and adult adoptees experienced.”
“I trust that those who have worked diligently in the background on the terms of reference will reflect the requests of the Committee and those who have given evidence to ensure that they are victim-centred and that truth and justice will be pursued.”
“Throughout the process, the Committee has taken steps to ensure that victims and survivors of religious institutions, state homes and private homes see themselves reflected in the Bill.”
“At a recent meeting of the Committee for the Executive Office, the Migrants' Rights Network complained that, in the second half of 2025, the UK Government increased raids focused on illegal working. When raids increased by 76%, arrests increased by 169%.”
“The revelations that have come to light since dirty Donaldson's conviction and the red flags that his colleagues ignored raise profound and troubling questions for the DUP, but for Sinn Féin generally and Deirdre Hargey in particular to come to the Chamber and pontificate about safeguarding is utter hypocrisy.”
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Every one of 2,236 lines we hold for Timothy Gaston, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 23 of 45.
“<BR /> <BR />The climate in which the attack took place also needs to be acknowledged. For years, anti-Israeli protests have featured antisemitic slogans and placards perpetuating harmful Jewish stereotypes. Even after Thursday, that rhetoric did not stop. On Friday, I wrote to the Chief Constable after being advised that, at an illegal roadblock at York Street, there were chants of, "We got two". Shame. I regret that Members of the House, including a Member for South Belfast from the Alliance Party, sought to contextualise those illegal protests. Decency should have kept the protesters in the house on Thursday evening, of all nights. It is shameful that the Member for South Belfast could not even bring herself to say that.”
“The attack on the Manchester synagogue on Thursday was an outrageous assault on the Jewish community, occurring on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur, which is better known to Christians as the "Day of Atonement", is a time when sin is recalled and repented for. In the Old Testament, we remember the slaughter of a goat on that day and the sprinkling of its blood in the Holy of Holies. Last week, Jewish blood stained the streets of Manchester as two men were murdered and three others were seriously injured. I pay tribute to the courage of those who died protecting their family, friends and neighbours, but there is a need for more than words. The attacker was a Muslim who was out on bail for an alleged rape. Although he was a British citizen, he was of Syrian origin. The danger of Islamic extremism can no longer be ignored.”
“I strongly disagree. Sinn Féin is feeling today what it inflicted on many people during the years —”
“With all due respect, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I would like you to let me finish what I was going to say.”
“With all due respect, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, what I am saying is relevant to what we have, which is the hypocrisy of Sinn Féin. It is experiencing today what it inflicted on many people up and down this country through its years of terrorism.”
“Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. What I said will bring me on to where I was going with it. <BR /> <BR />As the men fled, they told the barman that they had left a 10-lb bomb that would go off in 10 minutes.”
“I join other Members in condemning the pipe bomb attack in Newry. Such activity has no place, and it never had a place, in any democratic society. Today, although we rightly think about what could have happened but for the prompt action of the security forces, and of the British Army bomb squad in particular, my mind turns back to the events on this very day half a century ago, 6 October 1975. On that date, a 45-year-old RUC detective constable, David Smyth Love, responded to reports of a robbery at a bar on the Dungiven Road, 3 miles outside Limavady. The criminals held staff and customers at gunpoint —”
“— yet another failed feature of the Stormont Executive.”
“Are the DUP and the Ulster Unionists happy to sustain a Justice Minister who cannot grasp the difference between a victim and a victim maker? Act or own it. <BR /> <BR />In championing Stormont, you own a First Minister who said that "there was no alternative" to IRA murder. You own an Irish Language Commissioner who was imposed upon unionists. You own a Justice Minister who equates terrorists with their victims. Own it or do something about it. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, in the Business Office, I lodged a motion of no confidence in the Justice Minister. If colleagues agree that she should not hold office, go and sign my motion, or, indeed, table your own, and I will sign it. If you do nothing, you will own —”
“My North Antrim colleague, Mr Frew, described her position as "diabolical". I agree with both statements. <BR /> <BR />My question today is this: do the DUP and the Ulster Unionists still have confidence in the Justice Minister? I remind the House that Mrs Long is unique in the Executive. Mrs Long is Minister of Justice because the Assembly voted to make her Minister of Justice. The record shows that only Jim Allister opposed her appointment. What now?”
“Doug Beattie called Mrs Long's words an "appalling contribution" that:”
“I begin my remarks by reading into the record an open letter that Mr Paul Toombs sent to the Justice Minister last week:”
“It has been widely reported, Minister, that 200,000 tons of raw sewage are being pumped into Lough Neagh every year by Northern Ireland Water. Are you able to share the commitments that you have received from the Minister for Infrastructure to reduce that amount significantly, and by when? When can we see the figure of 200,000 tons of raw sewage being halved or eradicated? It is all very well and good your going after farmers and putting targets on them, but when will targets be put on Northern Ireland Water?”
“Our legitimate concerns over ID cards must not be exploited to drive yet another wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We must not allow constitutional integrity to be undermined for political convenience.”
“The TUV is clear: this is a cynical ploy to fool voters that something is being done about illegal immigration when the reality is that there are genuine fears that it will impinge further on the freedoms of UK citizens. <BR /> <BR />The digital ID debate raises another equally serious question regarding the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom. Digital ID is a national matter. There can be no Irish Sea ID border. I am glad that my party leader will oppose the scheme's introduction at Westminster, but there must be no question of yielding to Sinn Féin's anti-British agenda by exempting Northern Ireland from a UK-wide system. Doing so would create a dangerous two-tier approach to citizenship: one for Great Britain and another for Northern Ireland. I caution unionist colleagues in the House.”
“Quitting the European Convention on Human Rights would be the first logical step; freezing non-essential immigration would be the second; and immediately deporting those who arrive here illegally, rather than accommodating them in hotels, would be the third. <BR /> <BR />I share people's genuine concerns about the proposed centralisation of personal data. Collecting and storing all citizens' personal information in one digital system carries clear risks — risks of misuse by the Government and data breaches by hackers. Most important, the introduction of digital IDs will have ramifications for the civil liberties that we all enjoy, and they must be resisted.”
“Keir Starmer has shown that he is a Prime Minister on his way out, after once again showing us all that he is out of touch with our cherished British values. He has ensured that many of his MPs will rightly receive their P45s at the next election through his foolish attempts to introduce mandatory digital IDs. It shows a Prime Minister who is out of touch with public opinion and a Prime Minister with no answers on how to stop the boats. If the Government are truly committed to stopping illegal crossings, direct measures are required to stop the boats in the Channel before people reach the UK shores.”
“— to form, is not interested in transparency.”
“There is no talk about strike action in the minutes. For transparency, can the Minister point us to where we can find who asked for, and who supported, strike action? I certainly think that the NAC, true —”
“The NAC has form for being obsessed with money. I think of my time on the NAC, when it refused to give back the £10,000 COVID grant that, I believe, it should not have received. I am looking through the minutes of its meeting on 21 May 2025. Its members said that they wanted to lodge FOI requests because they were unhappy with their pay offer. The minutes state:”
“Serious questions have been asked of but never answered by Dublin in the Gibson and Hanna cases. Does Friday's paper commit to anything on them? No. Dublin takes it upon itself to equality-proof the UK proposals, while, all the time, it is up to its neck in facilitating IRA terror, and, in multiple cases, it was colluding outright. My goodness: what we have heard today from the Alliance Party. Sinn Féin can always rely on its little helpers to rewrite history. Alliance is happy and content that the word "innocent" be stripped out of the motion, but —”
“After that murder, an inaccurate gardaí file was leaked to a journalist seeking to blacken the reputation of an innocent man. <BR /> <BR />I also think of the Hanna family, who were blown up by a 1,000 lb IRA bomb, intended for a judge, as they were returning from Dublin Airport after a trip to Florida. Does six-year-old David Hanna not deserve justice? He was found dead with a Disney ticket in his pocket. The blood of that young boy and his parents still cries out for justice, yet Dublin, London and those who share power with the political wing of the very people who planted that bomb turn a deaf ear. Lord and Lady Gibson, a couple aged 73 and 67, who should have been left to enjoy their retirement together, were blown up just moments after crossing the border.”
“There is no commitment to examine the fact that the bombs that were made for Omagh and Enniskillen were built in the Republic, before being transported across the border. There is no prospect of getting accountability for the attempted bombing at Tullyhommon, where a bomb that was four times the size of that used on the same day in Enniskillen failed to detonate. It was targeting Boys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade members, and its command wire ran into the Republic. <BR /> <BR />We also have the very real issue of collusion between the Irish security forces and republicans. Mrs Dodds has already mentioned Ian Sproule. I also think of Ian Sproule today: a young joiner who was shot 44 times outside his Castlederg home, after which his father received a phone call telling him to go outside to see what the IRA had left him on the street.”
“The facts are undeniable. Between 1973 and 1997, only eight out of the 110 extradition requests from the UK to the Republic were successful. The Irish constitution, which claimed Northern Ireland as its own, was repeatedly exploited by terrorists in Irish courts fleeing justice. Before the arrival of the Libyan Semtex in the mid-1980s, bombs in the majority of republican areas were made from Irish industrial explosives, which came straight from quarries across the border into the hands of killers. Today, however, we are told that the same Republic should be trusted to shape how legacy is handled. That is grotesque, and it is an insult to every innocent victim. <BR /> <BR />The document that was released on Friday shows that the Republic is committed to investigating only unsolved incidents in its jurisdiction.”
“All those actions sustained the IRA's murderous campaign.”
“The motion before the House has in every sense been overtaken by events. The Secretary of State has shamefully announced that Dublin will co-design legacy plans. Let me be clear: that is not just wrong; it is an obscenity. <BR /> <BR />We must never forget the historical record of the South. Many victims of the IRA would still be alive today but for the deliberate actions and, indeed, glaring inactions of the Irish state: sanctuary across the border; refusal to extradite known terrorists; provision of safe houses and training grounds; and free movement of explosives through the Republic.”
“Sinn Féin rewriting history, aided and abetted by Alliance.”
“— that will ultimately fall because of your climate madness.”
“I am sorry, Mr McCrossan, but I started my contribution by saying that my heart goes out to the families of every victim of the A5. Let me tell you, Mr McCrossan, that this is not the only infrastructure safety upgrade that will fall because of your climate madness. You could not wait to get through the Lobbies and bring it into force, and now, when it has come back to bite you in your own backyard, you are saying, "We should set it aside for the A5." All lives matter, and the A5 should not be prioritised over other future upgrades —”
“— and the impact that it will have on farming. I am happy to give way.”
“— of the Climate Change Act in relation to all future infrastructure projects —”
“I think not. Judging by the SDLP's support for the nutrients action programme (NAP) proposals in the House a number of weeks ago, it wants to decimate the agriculture industry. Is it only when the West Tyrone farmers dare to use the SDLP's own legislation against it that it suddenly gets exercised about the A5? <BR /> <BR />The motion should not be about seeking special treatment for the A5. It should recognise the folly —”
“They are detrimental not just to Northern Ireland's infrastructure but, importantly, to its agriculture industry. <BR /> <BR />I will not support the motion, and I see no reason why the A5 project alone should be exempted from an Act that, as my party warned at the time, set the Province on the wrong path. It is the height of hypocrisy to cheer that into law and then to come here and complain when the very law that they championed rightly dispels the A5. <BR /> <BR />It is a product of the made-in-Stormont mess, and the SDLP cannot wash its hands of it. I ask myself when we will see that happen, as it inevitably will. First, we have the A5, and, next, the Act will begin to bite on farming. Will the SDLP come back to the House to look for special treatment for farmers, or is it only the A5, Mr McCrossan?”
“Thank you very much, Mr McCrossan. Yes, I know where west of the Bann is. Following the next election, hopefully, it will have better representation from this side of the Chamber from people who will actually stand up for the people there. <BR /> <BR />My goodness, the Member talks about net zero, and he mentioned figures. The problem is with net zero and the climate change fanatics. Let us look at it. Why did the project fail to withstand legal challenge? It failed because of section 52 of the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. If one takes the time to read the judgement, one will see that Justice McAlinden reproduced that entire section in his decision. In contrast, the TUV has always been clear that the Climate Change Act's emissions targets are not practical.”
“One Member even attacked others in the House by claiming that the overwhelming scientific consensus supported the SDLP's position. Now, however, as the Climate Change Act drags the A5 project below the waterline, the SDLP is the first out of the traps to propose a non-binding motion to demand that construction begin before the end of the mandate. <BR /> <BR />Justice McAlinden did not invent section 52; the SDLP and its climate change mates made sure that it was enshrined in law. The High Court did not block the A5 for fun but enforced the very provisions that the SDLP supported. Where is the honesty from the SDLP and, indeed, Sinn Féin and Alliance? A few years ago, they were tripping over themselves to pass that legislation.”
“My thoughts are with the families and those who have lost loved ones. They continue to be let down by the political fallout from net zero, which now puts all future infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland at risk. <BR /> <BR />The A5 motion is a strange one for the "constructive Opposition" to table on its first Opposition day of the new term. The motion exposes the hypocrisy of the mad environmental zealots by delivering to them a good dose of reality. The SDLP has tabled a motion complaining about the fallout from the very climate change legislation that it so enthusiastically endorsed at every stage in the Assembly. <BR /> <BR />Let us roll the clock back a few years. The record shows that the SDLP repeatedly argued that there was urgent need for a climate change Bill.”
“At the weekend, the DUP leader rightly attacked those who refuse to accept biological reality, yet you head a Department alongside Mrs Little-Pengelly that retains its links with the discredited Stonewall organisation. Stonewall believes that a woman can have a penis. First Minister, once again, do you believe that?”
“Minister, it is unfortunate that it has taken the Department so long to get to this point and learn the lessons from what was rejected this time last year. In order to allow farmers to plan cash flow, will you commit today to a date on which the uplift will be implemented? Will you give an assurance that future green schemes will have buy-in from industry and will be co-designed with it to ensure that we are not left with the faux pas that we have had with RHI?”
“Of those in the House who will claim that that is unrepresentative of the Republic I ask why unionism should believe you, when you do not tolerate an Orange march for five minutes a year in a majority nationalist area, yet demand that your culture, through the Irish language, be imposed where it is simply not wanted. <BR /> <BR />The idea of an agreed Ireland is nothing more than spin for political domination of the unionist community. We must resist the new-Ireland, mythical nonsense coming from Sinn Féin and their friends at every opportunity and expose it for what it is.”
“We are told that it is a land where diversity is celebrated and where a homosexual Taoiseach with Indian heritage can lead the country. I dare say that, if Heather Humphreys were black or Muslim, the press would have played that story positively, but a white Protestant with suspected links to the Orange Order? Oh, no, that is beyond the pale. The very fact that it is considered a story says an awful lot about what unionists can expect in a so-called new Ireland. It seems that, for many in the Republic, when it comes to one minority — the Protestant minority — it is all well and good so long as they know their place.”
“This morning, I comment on the fact that the mere suggestion that the husband of Heather Humphreys, the Fine Gael candidate for president, had once been in the Orange Order merits front-page headlines, news reports and wall-to-wall commentary. What a telling insight into the Republic in the 21st century. It is often repeated that Sir James Craig described the old Stormont in Northern Ireland as a Protestant Parliament for a Protestant people. What is less often recalled is that he was responding to Éamon de Valera's saying that the Southern state would be a Catholic state for a Catholic people. One hundred years later, it is plain to see which of those spirits remains alive and well. <BR /> <BR />The modern Republic boasts of its tolerance.”
“Of course, that does not trouble the Member who brought the matter before the House. While women were being raped, families torn apart and civilians massacred, what was he doing? Mr Carroll was tweeting, "Victory to the Palestinian Resistance". <BR /> <BR />Recognition of a Palestinian state is not a step towards peace; it is a betrayal of the only democracy in the Middle East and the people who are on the front line against Islamic extremism. It is a shameful act by a discredited Government whom the people of the UK are waiting eagerly to kick out of office.”
“On that day, the Jewish people suffered the largest massacre since the Holocaust. Civilians were slaughtered. Men, women and children were butchered without regard for age or sex. What is the response of the Government? It is to reward that savagery and hand victory to Hamas. <BR /> <BR />That decision has nothing to do with peace in the Middle East and everything to do with Labour party politics. It opens the door to a Palestinian embassy in London, with all the privileges. What is most concerning is that it gives diplomatic immunity for officials. Think of the dangers that that brings. What has Hamas given in return? Absolutely nothing; not even the release of Israeli hostages who have now endured over 600 days in captivity — 600 days without even the most basic humanitarian concerns.”
“The Prime Minister's announcement on Sunday that the United Kingdom now recognises a Palestinian state was and is shameful. Let us remember the context. The genesis of that announcement lies in the events of 7 October 2023.”
“Since the Member lives so close to the bonfire site, when did he first start to raise concerns about it? Now that 12 July has passed, do those concerns still exist? What has he done about it since then?”
“That exposes the contradiction at the heart of the motion. Republicans believe that unionist culture should be policed by the state, while their culture should be promoted by it. Support of just 15% is enough for Irish language street signs. An Irish Language Commissioner is to be appointed. Meanwhile the Parades Commission bans hymns being played by an accordion band. <BR /> <BR />Now the Assembly, in its wisdom — my goodness, nobody knows better than the Assembly — calls for yet another part of unionist culture to be policed. My culture does not need Sinn Féin's permission. My community sees through the hypocrisy of the nationalist/republican agenda, which flows from the House. We will not be lectured by those who excuse firebombs while they condemn pallets being burnt on a bonfire.”
“Careful about my language? Will any unionist who is in the Alliance Party please step forward? I certainly do not see too many in this Chamber. <BR /> <BR />The motion says nothing about the cultural importance of bonfires to the unionist community. It does not admit that only 18% of unionists support a regulatory commission for bonfires and flags. Without community support, such a system is doomed to failure from the start, and unionists do not need to guess how regulation works: we have already seen it in action. Let us look at the Parades Commission, and at North Antrim in particular. Dunloy Accordion Band can go to the Belfast Tattoo, be rightfully praised by the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor, but it cannot play a hymn, something as simple as 'Jesus Loves Me', while walking up Dunloy Main Street.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I take your wisdom and guidance. <BR /> <BR />In England, burning effigies on bonfire night is accepted as a cultural expression. In Lewes, it is even promoted as a tourist attraction. However, when unionists do it, suddenly it is treated as a hate crime. <BR /> <BR />The truth is that the lectures are predictable. The lectures are condescending and are rightly ignored by a community that sees through the hypocrisy of a political class that despises them.”
“The only time the lofty establishment in South Belfast gets exercised about loyalist areas is when people dare to stand up and celebrate their culture. <BR /> <BR />During the summer, many people rightly asked me this obvious question: why do those people get interested in asbestos only in early July? Why was Boron Developments — coincidently, it lists the wife of the Armagh GAA captain and manager — which owns the site, not forced to clear the site months or years before? As for the outrage about what is burned on bonfires that we have heard today, the hypocrisy absolutely stinks. They are the people who gave artistic licence to Kneecap, who unveiled the mural of a PSNI Land Rover on fire.”
“Here we go again: another day, another lecture from Sinn Féin, aided and abetted by its little helpers in the Alliance Party in taking a swipe and looking down their noses at unionism and, in particular, loyalism. No one believes for one minute that Sinn Féin cares about dangerous bonfires in unionist areas. It is the party that tells us that there was no alternative to La Mon, where 12 innocent people were burned alive. Yet, it suddenly pretends to care about a bonfire in the same constituency as La Mon at which no one was injured, never mind killed. <BR /> <BR />The leader of the Opposition represents the Donegall Road, but the only time that I have heard the words "Sandy Row" cross his lips in this place was last December, when he gave off to me for daring to raise the plight of unionist businesses cut off by Grand Central station.”