Newton Emerson’s recent article (September 23) raises questions that strike at the heart of current political debate.
Let me be clear: the DUP is the only Executive party consistently standing for the ordinary individual, including the working-class Catholic nationalist who is too often ignored by those who claim to speak for them on major issues like uncontrolled and illegal immigration and the matter of common sense.
At the DUP conference, I said: “Many nationalists who feel betrayed by nationalist parties on illegal immigration, or abandoned on the matter of common sense, should be assured we will hold their feet to the fire and call out their dangerous dereliction of duty.
“We will call out their sneering attitudes towards those with heartfelt lived experience at each and every opportunity.”
These are not empty words – they reflect what I continually hear from constituents who feel they have been taken for granted.
On immigration, Sinn Féin have taken a Jekyll and Hyde approach. They avoid scrutiny, refuse open media engagement and attempt to play both sides of the argument.
By contrast, the DUP has been clear and unambiguous: legal immigration must be carefully controlled.
We believe that current levels are unsustainable and must be curtailed.
This is not simply a matter for the United Kingdom, but also for the Republic of Ireland, where one-fifth of the population are now first-generation immigrants, a demographic shift of historic scale.
It should not be forgotten that the DUP was the only major party to oppose the proposal for “sanctuary city” status for Newry, a move designed to invite globalist entanglements into a town already under strain, and one represented primarily by Sinn Féin.
Nationalists should know that in us they have an ally against the coalition of Sinn Féin, the SDLP, Alliance and the Greens, whose policies make daily life harder for ordinary people in Newry, west Belfast and beyond.
The DUP will continue to give a voice to those who feel unheard. We will speak plainly where others equivocate and we will not shrink from defending the interests of working people, regardless of background.
By contrast, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, and Alliance appear determined to side with the elite class, whatever the cost to their own electorate.
Jonathan Buckley MLA
DUP, Upper Bann
