DUP call for Sinn Fein’s allowances to be cut
The Democratic Unionist Party has requested the Government remove the privileges and allowances of Sinn Fein’s four MPs in the Commons in the wake of the IRA’s apparent link to the Northern Bank heist in Belfast on 20 December.
Northern Ireland’s largest protestant party introduced early day motion 463 on Thursday after the province’s chief police chief, Hugh Orde, said he believed the IRA orchestrated the raid.
Although Sinn Fein refuses to take seats in the Commons, the DUP says the party’s four MPs receive £400,000 a year in allowances.
The DUP’s chief whip, Nigel Dodds MP, said they were a body inextricably wedded to terror and criminality and as such could not be treated like “a normal democratic party”.
“While Sinn Fein leaders pretend to talk peace they are in fact committed to violence, terror, criminality and all manner of illegal activity,” he said.
The move has the support of Conservative leader Michael Howard, who signed the early day motion, along with Mr Oliver Heald, Mr Andrew Hunter, Mr David Lidington, Martin Smyth, Sir Nicholas Winterton, Mr David Wilshire and David Burnside.
Mr Dodds also said the political process ought to move ahead without Sinn Fein.
Looking to sideline Sinn Fein, the SDLP on Saturday said it was considering entering a voluntary coalition with the DUP at Stormont.
Eddie McGrady, SDLP MP, said his party was chewing over the options, adding nationalist voters had been “betrayed” by the IRA.
Mr McGuinness said the SDLP would be “ill advised” to break away from the Good Friday Agreement.
“Any such move would be rejected by the nationalist and republican electorate and they should think very carefully about doing the bidding of the Democratic Unionist Party.
“They should think carefully about doing the bidding of those opposed to power sharing, human rights and equality.”
Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator on Sunday distanced the IRA, and Sinn Fein, from the heist.
Martin McGuinness said it would be clearly “unacceptable” if it were established that the paramilitary group carried out the raid , as it would signify “a defining moment” in Sinn Fein’s work with the IRA.
“It would have been totally and absolutely unacceptable to me,” he told the BBC.
He added: “Neither Gerry Adams or myself or anyone from the Sinn Fein leadership had any knowledge whatsoever about this bank robbery.”
In any event, IRA involvement in Britain’s biggest raid would undermine the republican’s role in the “vitally important peace process”, said Sinn Fein’s Education Minister in the province’s assembly.
“I don’t see how it could have been in the interests of the IRA, who have made such a powerful contribution to the peace process going way back to their cessation in 1994, to be involved in such a risky operation, which would have undermined the republican contribution to a vitally important peace process.”
The MP for Mid-Ulster said the IRA had told him it was not involved in the robbery.
