THE DUP has demanded a “reality check” from other parties on the issue of government spending cuts and criticised nationalists and the unions, claiming they were “irresponsible”.
The new British government is set to impose spending cuts, estimated by the Stormont Executive, at anything up to 25 per cent. Details are to be revealed on October 20th, but cuts totalling £2 billion (€2.41 billion) are expected.
DUP leader Peter Robinson said Northern Ireland was looking into a “very tough four years as we work our way through the spending review”.
Recognising the North’s dependence on the British-funded public sector he warned: “That will hurt us more than other parts of the United Kingdom. The potential is there for us to lose 20 to 25 per cent of our budget,” he told RTÉ yesterday. You simply can’t cut that amount of money out without having a real impact that people will feel on the ground.
“It is going to be a difficult time and very painful decisions are going to have to be taken.”
He said the Executive’s “real priority” would be to handle the loss of budget funds in such a way as to minimise job losses.
Referring to Irish Congress of Trade Union claims that up to 40,000 jobs could be lost and Northern Ireland could be stuck in a prolonged recession, Mr Robinson admitted that some conclusions drawn by the unions could be sustained. But he added: “It would be a very bad day indeed if the Executive were to cut in such a way as to have that impact.
“Our real impact would be to try to save jobs but I recognise that the trade unions will be very nervous and cautious as we move forward. But we have a common aim of attempting as best we can to ensure that job losses will be kept to a minimum.”
Ictu has unveiled a series of rallies in opposition to government spending cuts.
Sinn Féin and the SDLP have also pledged to oppose British policy and warned of the threat to essential services and to public sector employment on which Northern Ireland is heavily reliant.
Finance Minister Sammy Wilson warned that everyone in Northern Ireland would feel the pinch, but he added: “There are irresponsible voices out there at present within the whole political sphere. Some are ignoring the reality, some who are saying that we should defy the [British] government on this – all of them unrealistic.
“We have got a problem, let’s approach it in a constructive way so that at least the pain, and there will be pain, will be minimised,” he said.
Mr Wilson said he had consulted widely on the issue of budget cuts and warned that if society did not see more political leadership in the Assembly then credibility would be lost.
“Nobody likes cuts, nobody wants these cuts but I think most people recognise it is beyond our power to do anything other than implement the changes.
“What they want to see is responsible politicians implementing them as well as they possibly can, as painlessly can and planning [them].”
Mr Wilson said it was vital that the executive responded positively and not in a knee-jerk fashion.
Peter Bunting, assistant general secretary of Ictu, regretted that while Mr Wilson had consulted widely, he did see meet the leaders of the union movement.