“The Alliance Party wants to exclude unionism under a cloak of reform because they disagree with our views. Such a step is abandoning the core cross community element of the Belfast Agreement and its successors. Our institutions will evolve but by cross community consensus.
Whilst Alliance’s anti-powersharing plans may have been hailed at the QUB Belfast Agreement echo-chamber, in the real world outside the room, unionists are not going to be bullied or excluded. Progress in Northern Ireland has only ever been made when unionists and nationalists move forward together.
Not for one second would nationalists be expected to tolerate the changes north-south that unionists are expected to swallow between GB and NI.
Northern Ireland will move forward together and unionism must move forward together.”