McCallister insists he will fight in 2016 Assembly poll

McCallister insists he will fight in 2016 Assembly poll

9 July 2014

SOUTH Down MLA John McCallister, who quit NI21 last week, insists he will be fighting the 2016 Assembly election.

NI21’s deputy leader walked away from the party in the aftermath of a series of allegations against his former party leader Basil McCrea, allegations which Mr. McCrea strongly denies.

Mr. McCallister, who is to remain as an independent unionist in the Assembly, quit the Ulster Unionist Party to form NI21 alongside Mr McCrea last year.

The South Down MLA insists that having left NI21, his immediate focus is now on representing his constituents and forwarding his Private Member’s Bill for the creation of an Opposition in Stormont.

While speculation has linked him with a return to the UUP, Mr. McCallister said he left the Ulster Unionists because of his “fundamental disagreement” with the party on the issue of unionist unity.

“I believe this would have been bad for our politics, bad for South Down and bad for Northern Ireland. I stand by this principle,” he continued.

“If you look at where unionism is coalescing around a fairly hard right agenda on parades and other issues and whether people like it or night, that’s not where my politics are. We need to get back to the politics of building a pluralist society and some sense of a spirit of generosity we had at the time of the Good Friday Agreement that we have lost over the past 16 years.”

Mr. McCallister said he intends “being a voice for civic, inclusive, pro-union politics,” explaining his position as deputy leader, chief whip and NI21 member had become “untenable” after an investigation by mediation firm Carecall into allegations against Mr. McCrea was halted by the party. The allegations have now been referred to the Assembly’s commissioner for standards.

The South Down MLA said when he helped establish NI21, it was his hope that the party would be a “reforming presence” in Northern Ireland politics. Mr. McCallister said when writing the party’s values, he envisioned a civic, pro-union, moderate centre-right party, committed to normalising politics.

He continued: “Through NI21, I have had the privilege of meeting with so many people who want for nothing more than to improve Northern Ireland; to contribute to a more productive, more harmonious society here. Their energy and desire to bring about real change has been an inspiration and I remain deeply appreciative for the efforts of all the members and candidates of NI21.

“But where the party may have been successful as an ideal and a movement, it failed as an organisation. This is not the time for recriminations, but it is with very great sadness that we all must arrive at the stark conclusion that the NI21 is no longer viable as the proper vehicle for change. This is a matter of deepest regret for me as a founder of the party.”

Mr. McCallister said he remains loyal not only to the ideals of NI21, but to the staff whom he has worked with over the past number of months.

He explained that because of this, and to meet his duty of care to these colleagues, he has met with both the Speaker of the Assembly and the Assembly Standards Commission in regards to recent events.

The MLA added: “I would like to thank all those — in particular my constituents in South Down — who have wished me well amidst the difficulties of the recent weeks. It is now my intention to sit in the Assembly as an Independent Unionist for South Down and have informed the Speaker I am an Independent Unionist in the Northern Ireland Assembly.”