Who wants a dictatorship?

Editorial Department • Published 22 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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Dear Sir -In response to the misleading comments put forward by Alison Brimstone and Phil Flanagan regarding the all-important issue of the draft Bill on Assemblies and Protests, it must be pointed out that their respective parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein have jumped a vital stage in any consultation process and that is to consult openly with the public before producing a Bill. I understand the aforementioned people being very new to politics may not be aware of the importance of that vital detail to consult, and all responses to the Bill by the vast majority of the public and various public sector organisations agree with me on the same.

I would also point out that the answer to contentions parades for all residents is plain and simple and indeed acknowledged by most sensible-thinking people, re-route them to where they are logically not contentious?

This draft consultation Bill, which has been produced without any consultation and without the code of conduct that Phil Flanagan claims it had, in reality is a mish mash of disproportionate garbage that has completely failed to deal with the issue it was supposed to deal with in the first place;'contentious parades'.

The excuse-making on the part of some that this Bill is a document that can possibly be amended is ridiculous out-and-out party spin.

The entire document is rubbish and should be scrapped. Indeed the authors of such a document should also be scrapped. Don't try to defend the indefensible.

The Bill has lumped absolutely every other parade, protest or assembly into the mix to be controlled by OFMDFM which is akin to a Franco dictatorship. Who wants that?

Citizens in Fermanagh should be allowed to continue to live in a democracy whereby we enjoy our rights, certainly not our rights taken away.

I am familiar with the DUP not wanting to grant us any rights, but it is totally unforgivable that Sinn Fein would do the same.

Yours faithfully

Independent Councillor

Bernice Swift

This letter appeared in Impartial Reporter 22 Jul 10

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