The Five Demands

Il leader del DUP rivolge le proprie scuse alla comunità nazionalista, dopo i commenti rilasciati a caldo al termine dello scrutinio elettorale

Strascichi post elettorali vedono ancora coinvolti l’UUP e lo Sinn Fein, al centro di schermaglie ‘a distanza’.
Ieri il leader dell’UUP, Tom Elliot, si è scusato con la comunità nazionalista per quella che potrebbe essere stata considerata un’offesa, in occasione del discorso di vittoria che si è tenuto sabato presso il centro conteggi elettorali di Omagh.
Elliot, commentando a caldo la perdita di 2 seggi all’Assembly, aveva poco galantemente definito ‘feccia’ i sostenitori dello Sinn Fein dopo aver detto che il tricolore irlandese è ‘la bandiera di una nazione straniera’.
“Non mi pento dei miei commenti sui terroristi pentiti”, ha dichiarato.
“Ma se hanno in qualche modo offesa alla più ampia comunità nazionalista, non è mai stata mia intenzione. Non erano diretti a tutta la comunità, e se hanno causato offesa me ne rammarico.”
Lo stesso Gerry Adams, leader dello Sinn Fein, aveva esortato il leader dell’UUP a fare un passo indietro sulle sue dichiarazioni.
Intanto, è prevista per sabato un riunione d’emergenza dell’Esecutivo dell’Ulster Unionist Party, per discutere della dipartita di David McClarty. Rimandata probabilmente al meeting generale del prossimo mese la messa in discussione del ruolo di Tom Elliot alla testa del partito.
Chiunque voglia di contestare la sua leadership ha tempo fino alle 17 di venerdì 13 per essere nominato, tuttavia Elliott sembra ottimista.
“Ieri abbiamo avuto una riunione del gruppo dell’Assembly e non c’è stata traccia di niente del genere,” ha detto. “Ed io non vedo perchè debba succedere qualcosa del genere”.

Elliott sorry for SF ‘scum’ outburst (UTV)
The party leader now says he regrets any offence caused to the nationalist community by his comments.
Tom Elliott has apologised after calling Sinn Féin supporters “scum”, as speculation grows about his future as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Mr Elliott made the remarks during a victory speech at the Omagh count centre last Saturday.
He branded Sinn Féin supporters in the hall “scum”, after he referred to the Irish tricolour as being “the flag of a foreign nation”.
The party leader now says he regrets any offence caused to the nationalist community by his comments.
“I don’t regret my comments about unrepentant terrorists,” Mr Elliott told UTV.
“But if it has caused any offence to the wider nationalist community that was never my intention. They were not aimed at the wider community, and if they have caused offence then I regret that.”
Mr Elliott said he had been provoked at the count centre, after a difficult election in which the UUP lost two Assembly seats.
More bad news then came for the party on Wednesday, when former member David McClarty opted not to return to the fold.
Mr McClarty was re-elected to Stormont after running as an Independent in East Londonderry, and could have guaranteed the Ulster Unionists a second ministry by rejoining, however that spot will now be claimed by the Alliance Party.
Mr Elliott said he respects the decision, but called it “unfortunate”, adding: “That’s his decision and I know he did a lot of soul-searching, but it’s his decision and I respect that.”
An emergency executive meeting of the UUP is now scheduled for Saturday.
While a direct leadership challenge is understood to be unlikely at that gathering, the question could be up for discussion at their annual general meeting next month.
Anyone wanting to contest the leadership has up until 5pm on Friday to be nominated, however Mr Elliott does not believe anyone will stand against him.
“We had a meeting of the Assembly group yesterday (Tuesday) and there was no hint of anything like that,” he said. “And I don’t see anything like that happening.