I will fight for “local families” says DUP man amid controversy over housing development
Posted By: September 23, 2017
“How sad to hear not just an echo of, but the virtual voice of infamous racist George Wallace in today’s Northern Ireland: ‘Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever.’ (Governor George Wallace, Democrat, in his inaugural address. January 14, 1963, in Montgomery, Alabama).
Calling for houses just for Unionists/Loyalists is, of course, code language for ‘keep the Catholics out.’ Something which anyone who knows anything about Northern Ireland will recognize immediately.
How can the Beloved Community be built upon the ideology of George Wallace?”—Fr. Sean Mc Manus
I will fight for “local families” says DUP man amid controversy over housing development
Brendan Hughes. Irish News. Belfast. Saturday, September 23, 2017
A DUP councilor has said he will fight for “local housing for local families” amid controversy over a residents’ group calling for homes to be “filled up with people from the Loyalist/Uunionist[Protestant] community.”
Seymour Hill and Conway Residents’ Association faced criticism earlier this week over a Facebook post encouraging people to meet with a DUP councilor about a new social housing development.
The group told people to “call in to see councilor Jonathan Craig” about the old Dunmurry High School site development, adding: “Please get yourself on the list and let’s get these houses filled up with people from [the] loyalist/unionist community [Protestant].”
Their board includes the former Lagan Valley MLA’s wife, ex-DUP councilor Yvonne Craig. Nationalist parties branded the remarks “extremely disappointing” and “disgraceful.”
Mr. Craig distanced himself from the comments, saying he has “no influence whatsoever” over housing allocation.
The residents’ group later apologized for using the “wrong vocabulary” and said their message was “aimed at local houses for local people.”
Following the apology, DUP Lisburn councilor Paul Porter on Thursday wrote on Facebook: “As your local councilor, I will continue to fight for more local housing for local families and individuals !”
The post was “liked” on the social media site by several DUP representatives.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin South Belfast MLA Máirtín Ó Muilleoir yesterday expressed concern over a development site having “no plans yet to build homes for local families.”
In a video on Twitter, Mr. Ó Muilleoir said: “Distressed to hear that while the community of Short Strand lost homes when the Sirocco site was cleared, the developers have no plans yet to build homes for local families on the Sirocco site which I find absolutely disgraceful. Needs sorted as soon as possible.”
