SDLP Deputy Leader Alasdair McDonnell MP has called on the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Taoiseach Brian Cowen to ‘publicly reject’ the possibility of a Conservative Party managed unionist electoral pact in Northern Ireland.

The South Belfast MP is seeking a meeting with each of the Premiers over what he calls “David Cameron’s very negative intervention in politics in Northern Ireland at a very crucial time whenever the dissident threat has increased and the talks on policing and justice are reaching a critical final stage.”

In letters sent today Alasdair McDonnell said:

“I am very concerned at the recent direct intervention in the politics of Northern Ireland by the Conservative Party, which I can only assume comes with the direct endorsement of David Cameron. The Conservative Party hosted an undisclosed meeting last weekend in London at which both the Ulster Unionist and the DUP were in attendance.

“Whether the meeting was called to facilitate a three way discussion on the current issues facing the administration here, or as likely, to examine the possibility of unionist ‘pacts’ in the forthcoming Westminster and future Assembly elections, I regard this as a very negative intervention in politics in the north at a very crucial time whenever the dissident threat has increased and the talks on policing and justice are reaching a critical final stage.

“Moves towards the creation of a single unionist power block in Northern Ireland as a means of bolstering the electoral fortunes of the Conservative Party will serve to set politics in this region on a negative course. It will generate significant distrust from the majority of people in the north who believe that politics is finally moving away from a sectarian head count and on to the kind of politics which deals with the real day to day issues impacting on people’s lives”.

Alasdair McDonnell said he believes David Cameron is “playing reckless politics with dangerously high stakes, a gamble which the SDLP utterly rejects”.

“I have written to both Gordon Brown and Brian Cowen calling on them to publicly reject this crude and dangerous intervention by the Conservative Party.

“The Conservatives claim that this secret meeting was about trying to overcome the political instabilities at Stormont. If this is the genuine motivation then why haven’t they met with the nationalist parties which represent half of the population living here.

“Political stability can only be achieved in an all-inclusive, fair and honest process, not by exclusive secret Tory/unionist back room deals”, he added.

ENDS

22-01-10