8/14/2019 Alastair the cross

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COBAIN ACTIONS DEEPLY WORRYING: ROSS

DUP MLA Alastair Ross has expressed grave concern at the actions of UCUNF Chief

Whip Fred Cobain during a recent DRD Committee trip to Dublin. Yesterday the

DRD Committee met with some Irish officials and were invited to watch proceedings

of the Irish Parliamentary Transport Committee. The Irish Committee then invitedNorthern Ireland Assembly members to take part in formal proceedings of the Dail

Committee an invitation that was taken up by Nationalists Willie Clarke and John

Dallat, Green MLA Brian Wilson and UUP Chief Whip Fred Cobain. DUP members

Alastair Ross and Jim Wells declined the invitation, saying that it would be deeply

inappropriate for MLAs to be taking part in official proceedings of the Irish

Parliament.

Alastair Ross said:

Aside from referring to Londonderry as Derry during his contribution to the Dail

committee, Fred Cobain managed to expose the massive and duplicitous hypocrisy of

UCUNF. The party that made all sorts of false accusations against the DUP over the

Irish plans to give MPs speaking rights in the Irish Parliament is to be found

despatching senior party figures to Dublin to engage in voluntary participation in the

committees of that foreign parliament.

Fred Cobain has crossed a major line. Never before in the near 90-year history of

Northern Ireland has any Unionist elected representative from the Northern Ireland

Assembly or its predecessor bodies participated in Dail proceedings. Fred Cobain did

so yesterday, whats more he chose to shun fellow-Unionists who indicated they

would not be taking part in the proceedings and lined up alongside Sinn Fein, the

SDLP and the Green Party to break Unionist principles.

People will be disgusted that Fred Cobain should have behaved in the way he did.

Did he have the approval of his party leader to do what he did? If not, we shouldexpect a forthright and immediate denunciation of Mr. Cobains behaviour. Attacking

me or the DUP for pointing out what Mr. Cobain has done will be no defence. Fred

Cobain needs to admit that he made a mistake and say sorry to the Unionist people of

Northern Ireland.

Whilst the UCUNF volunteers more North-Southery and shuns fellow-Unionists, the

DUP has made north-south arrangements accountable to the people of Northern

Ireland. We believe in sensible co-operation when it is to the mutual benefit of both

countries, Fred Cobains actions yesterday gave us an interesting glimpse into what

UCUNF believes, said the DUP MLA.