The economy is finally beginning to get some attention after months of the DUP/SF axis burying their heads in the sand and pretending we weren’t in any type of crisis. The SDLP launched a discussion document on the state of our government’s budget and spending priorities, identifying where we think £400 million can be found, and starting a much needed and long overdue conversation.
As I mentioned in a previous post, all over the world governments are reprioritising their budgets and spending priorities. Not here, oh no, that would be just too normal. We only need to look at the Environment Minister and we soon realise how serious some parties are at actually governing the north. Or indeed our Education Minister for that matter.
But now significant pressure is being brought to bear on DUP/SF and I think it’s only a matter of time before they have to acknowledge the reality. Well you would think wouldn’t you? Every day they delay the inevitable is a day that we all have to suffer.
I was at a debate recently and a DUP politician told the audience that I had to defend the SDLP’s policy on fixing the economy. Yes, you read that right. He failed to acknowledge that his party holds the finance ministry, the enterprise and trade ministry and the post of First Minister, he failed to acknowledge that they are the majority party in government and the assembly, that there is going to be a £1 billion black hole in the budget, that people are losing their jobs, that businesses are going under, that we are in a bad financial state at all. But I had to defend my party’s position!
Bear in mind, this was before we launched our economic discussion document this week (available below). This was simply when we where calling for a reprioritising of our spending in these worsening financial times. So apparently we needed to defend the fact that we are facing up to what everyone is facing up to-we are in a crisis, time for solutions, time for some action.
The DUP Finance Minister’s stance on the economic situation is very much like the DUP Environment Minister’s stance on our contribution to global warming. They deny it is happening. This is what we are up against (with not a word from SF). But, let the debate at least start, and lets get on with it.