NI Conservatives’ regional development spokesman, Bill Manwaring, has hit out at Sinn Féin for ‘needless posturing’ and a ‘warped sense of priorities’, after the party attacked new ‘Welcome to Northern Ireland’ signs, which have been erected at the border with the Republic.
“How typical of Sinn Féin”, Bill observed. “With all the problems we face, relating to health, schools or the economy, the party decides to fixate on the erection of some inexpensive, inoffensive signs in its absurd attempt to pretend that Northern Ireland doesn’t exist”.
“These signs shouldn’t be first, tenth or even one hundredth on the list of any reasonable MLA’s priorities. For what it’s worth, though, they are a perfectly useful and justifiable means of informing drivers that they are entering a different jurisdiction. In actual fact, given that they mark a land border with another EU state, it wouldn’t be at all unreasonable were they to read ‘Welcome to the United Kingdom’.”
“For all Sinn Féin’s posturing, the signs will not cause even a shred of controversy for the vast majority of people, on either side of the community, who surveys tell us are increasingly happy to describe themselves as ‘Northern Irish’. Rather than ignore its existence, Sinn Fein should catch up with society and attempt to make Northern Ireland the best place it can be, for all of our people, by turning its attention to creating jobs or addressing the many problems in our education system which the party has done so much to create”.