Mr Paisley said,
“The Government’s blackmail tactics have completely backfired. By announcing a grim budget and enforcing cuts, the Secretary of State’s hope was that this would coerce unionists back into the NI Assembly but it is flawed and counterproductive.
His strategy is failing. Northern Ireland voters can see the blackmail. The daily diet of cuts headlines prove that Northern Ireland is underfunded.
People realise that if the money is not there today it won’t be there for future devolved Ministers either.
No politician would seek to go back into an underfunded governmental arrangement that has the added disadvantage of having to pay back hundreds of millions of pounds to Westminster before it can start allocating new resources.
The DUP has long been highlighting the underfunding of Northern Ireland. Our need is not being addressed and rather than trying to blackmail people, the Government would be better to address Northern Ireland’s budgetary shortfall.”
