DUP and Donaldson scathing about Blair

Anti-agreement unionists were scathing of Mr Blair's visit to Belfast saying it indicated the poor state of the peace process…

Anti-agreement unionists were scathing of Mr Blair's visit to Belfast saying it indicated the poor state of the peace process.

The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, condemned the Prime Minister's refusal to speak to his party.

"I think it's sad that a British Prime Minister has so little respect for the democratic process that he will only meet parties who agree with his policy.

"One of the strengths of the democratic system is that politicians should be able to listen to, even if they don't agree with, the views of other politicians," he said.

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"Here we have a Prime Minister who comes to Northern Ireland, and unless you agree with his policies, unless you touch your forelock to Tony Blair, then you are not going to be heard by this Prime Minister.

"I think that Mr Blair is going to find that a very difficult position to sustain because each time he comes to Northern Ireland there will be less people to speak with him because the number of those who support his policies are diminishing on each occasion."

Mr Robinson's party colleague, Mr Nigel Dodds, accused the Northern Secretary of threatening unionists after he warned that a return to direct rule would entail more interference in the North from the Government in Dublin. "The threat exposes what we have always said about the so-called guarantee in the agreement that the principle of consent had been secured.

"It is now shown to be bogus and not worth the paper it is written on," he said.

Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the Ulster unionist MP, said: "Tony Blair flying to Belfast is a sign the government is putting enormous pressure on David Trimble and the unionists to back down on decommissioning and policing.

"He cannot bully us," Mr Donaldson said.

He called on the Prime Minister to concentrate his efforts on the republican movement.

He should be putting pressure on republicans to deliver on weapons.

"I would like to ask him when he is going to deliver on the pledges he made to the people of Northern Ireland that representatives of armed terrorists would not be allowed in government," Mr Donaldson said.

A statement from the United Kingdom Unionist Party, led by Mr Robert McCartney, said that "unionists who were persuaded to support the Peace Agreement by written pledges from Tony `Pinocchio' Blair are not going to let themselves be fooled again".