Patsy McGlone 16th September 2008

MCGLONE - ASSEMBLY MUST HOLD EXECUTIVE TO ACCOUNT

SDLP Chief Whip Patsy McGlone MLA urged Assembly members to use their powers to the full otherwise they could lose them. (full text below).

Speaking to an SDLP motion which called on the Executive to take emergency action to deal with the credit crunch, energy crisis and economic slowdown, he said:

“Members, do not think your duty and responsibility to hold the Executive to account goes unchallenged. Look around you. Where are the responsible ministers prepared to answer the charge? Why can you not even find out, other than through the media, exactly who blocked meetings of the Executive? Who was making the decisions this summer? Who is in charge? Why was the July meeting cancelled at short notice? Why was there no emergency meeting when people were stuck in floods? Why is there nobody here to give us answers?

We need to put down a marker today. If you do not use the power of holding to account, you will lose it, one slice at a time. Your rights, duties and responsibilities as members of this Assembly must be superior to party-political considerations. I therefore ask you to support this motion so that we may use our devolved institutions on behalf of the people we represent.”



ENDS

Video clip of speech available here.

Text of Motion

 That this Assembly:

· notes with concern that the Executive has not met since June and notes the backlog of papers requiring due consideration by the Executive on important issues such as post-primary education, the Maze and PPS14;

· calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to ensure that the Executive meets to address important papers being brought forward by Ministers, to consider the regional impact of the economic downturn and measures which might mitigate its impact on households, businesses, employment and the regional economy including expediting the start dates for major public works agreed in the Investment Strategy, rejecting water charges and prioritising interventions against rising fuel poverty;

· calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to table a paper on the Devolution of Policing and Justice matters for consideration by the Executive;

· and reaffirms the recommendations of the Assembly and Executive Review Committee’s Report on the Inquiry into the Devolution of Policing and Justice Matters which highlighted issues which needed to be considered, examined or discussed by the Assembly and/or discussed by the political parties before the devolution of Policing and Justice.


[Mr M Durkan]

[Dr A McDonnell]

[Mrs D Kelly]

[Mr P McGlone]


FULL TEXT OF SPEECH

The origins of this motion go back more than three months. Even before the Executive held its last meeting on 18th June, it was perfectly clear that we were heading for hard times and that our devolved institutions were going to be put to the test. Before this Assembly went into recess we called on the Executive to look at energy policy and to urge the British government to impose a windfall tax and use the proceeds to mitigate fuel poverty. Given the urgency and the fundamental nature of the challenges we faced, members had the right to assume that business would be done during the summer and that no petty procedural wrangles should stand in its way.

Sadly, this did not happen. For reasons which were highlighted in this Chamber yesterday, there were no meetings. When it became clear that the Executive would not meet in July, we called for the Assembly to be reconvened. The Executive is answerable to this Assembly, although it seems some parties think it should be the other way around – indeed, some of them think it is the other way around.

Sinn Fein’s Martina Anderson said the call for reconvening the Assembly was political posturing, since the Assembly and Executive have the power to do anything about the crisis. Clearly Martin McGuinness took the opposite view, saying ‘we need to exercise what power we have to minimize the impact’ of the crisis. He has belatedly produced his own action list of measures – but he seems to be unaware that many of them are already in the pipeline.

Alliance leader David Ford said the cost of a recall would be too great, and he preferred to put his faith in the power of conscience. He said: ‘If the Executive is not already ashamed enough at its failure to meet all summer, a recall of the Assembly will have no impact.” Oh yes it will – in fact, it must. We wrote to all the MLAs asking them to support a recall. We understand there was a reply from Ian Paisley Junior but he got a bit mixed up and sent it to the Speaker’s Office by mistake.

Members, we – you – have got to take responsibility for holding the Executive to account. That is our duty – that is what people put us in here to do. If the Executive does not meet for three whole months we have got to hold them to account. If one minister or one party is responsible for that hold-up we must lay the blame where it belongs. Because this is a very serious matter. This is in fact nothing short of a political scandal and it is one which actually threatens our democratic institutions. To be blunt about it, I can’t find any example of another cabinet or executive body in the democratic world which can simply shut up shop for a quarter of a year at the whim of a single party leader. Well, perhaps something similar has happened this summer in Zimbabwe. But in Zimbabwe of course what you have is an ageing, autocratic, long-winded guerilla leader who has genuine difficulty making the transition from paramilitary command to democratic politics, who prefers to hang out with his War Veterans rather than debate with political opponents. No, Gerry Mugabe – sorry, Robert Mugabe – is a very different case.

Members, do not think your duty and responsibility to hold the Executive to account goes unchallenged. Look around you. Where are the responsible ministers prepared to answer the charge? Why can you not even find out, other than through the media, exactly who blocked meetings of the Executive? Who was making the decisions this summer? Who is in charge? Why was the July meeting cancelled at short notice? Why was there no emergency meeting when people were stuck in floods? Why is there nobody here to give us answers?

We need to put down a marker today. If you do not use the power of holding to account, you will lose it, one slice at a time. Your rights, duties and responsibilities as members of this Assembly must be superior to party-political considerations. I therefore ask you to support this motion so that we may use our devolved institutions on behalf of the people we represent.
 

ENDS 16/09/08