Northern Ireland needs to “switch from a culture of dependency on welfare” and focus on generating “serious wealth” for all people, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Mike Nesbitt has said.
Speaking in Portadown yesterday as the party published its Westminster general election manifesto, Mr Nesbitt said the political stalemate over welfare reform in Northern Ireland was about “party politicking” by Sinn Féin, with the republican party’s “southern command calling the shots”.
Mr Nesbitt also told a room packed with supporters his party would be seeking to do business with whichever party emerges from the election with the keys to 10 Downing Street.
“This is predicted to be the closest general election in recent memory,” he said. “Some make much of the possibilities of a smaller party holding the balance of power. In truth, there are so many smaller parties; a single member of parliament could make all the difference – holding the balance of power,” he said.
In response to questions from journalists, Mr Nesbitt said he would be giving “no thought” to forming a unionist bloc with the DUP until the result of the election was known.
He also said the position of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) on independence was an “insurmountable obstacle” in terms of potential coalition.
In its manifesto, the UUP warns against the prospect of the SNP being “kingmakers” after the election and claims Scottish nationalism has “not accepted” the outcome of the referendum on independence.
“In fact, they have done more to destabilise the union than Irish republicanism ever did, and the SNP did so without bombs or bullets,” it says.
Transformational
Outlining the party’s vision to make Northern Ireland “the most attractive region in Europe in which to do business”, the manifesto says Northern Ireland should match the Republic’s corporation tax rate of 12.5 per cent. Mr Nesbitt said the move would yield an additional 37,500 jobs, which would be “transformational”.
The party also pledges to deliver a Northern Ireland-owned bank “focused on promoting and advancing the rebalancing of the economy”.
On taxes, the manifesto says the UUP will support measures to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020. It also says it will oppose reintroducing the 50 per cent top rate of income tax for people earning more than £150,000 as it “could actually lead to a reduced total tax take”.
In terms of VAT, it says the current rate of 20 per cent is “crippling” construction and tourism, which are described as two of Northern Ireland’s “key industrial sectors”. It says it will seek a concessionary 5 per cent VAT rate on the repair, maintenance and improvement of existing dwellings.
Economic assets
On tourism, it says that, as Northern Ireland competes with the Republic, it will seek to match its rate of 9 per cent in the hospitality sector to “negate the marketing disadvantage”. Under “economic assets”, the party describes Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell as “three citizens who open a unique marketing opportunity”.
Other policy proposals include commencing the transition to a single education system “where children of all faiths and none learn together” and an end to “enforced social segregation”.
The party also says it will increase the minimum wage to “rebalance the shortfalls from previous years”.
The party says the legacy of terrorism “will be acutely felt for many years to come”.
“Outrages such as the ‘on the runs’ scandal serve to inflict further pain and trauma on those who suffered the most. We will introduce legislation at parliament to ensure that the OTR letters have no legal effect and which also enable prosecutions to take place, where possible.”
