Unionists angry over Dublin representative at council

Incensed unionists hit out today at plans by the Irish Government to monitor a council meeting in Northern Ireland.

The Government is set to send a representative to Lisburn City Council in Co Antrim for the election of its new mayor and deputy mayor.

The move comes amid nationalist claims that they are being excluded from the top positions.

But Democratic Unionist representative Edwin Poots declared: “This is an unprecedented interference in the affairs of a democratically-elected corporate body.

“It’s unwarranted, unwelcome and rather than making fools of themselves, the Irish Government should put their own house in order.”

Moves to have the election scrutinised came after none of the council’s seven nationalist representatives were appointed to the mayoral positions or committee chairs last year.

Ahead of today’s meeting, Sinn Féin’s Paul Butler insisted the council was not being inclusive.

He claimed: “What’s going to happen today is a continuation of this discrimination.

“A system of political apartheid was put in place where ourselves and other non-unionists were excluded.

“Lisburn City Council has become a byword for discrimination and bigotry.”

But Mr Poots hit back, pointing out that Mr Butler had turned down the offer of vice-chair of the Strategic Policy Committee last year.

He added: “Non-unionists have held the mayorship of Lisburn four years in the past 10.

“It’s somewhat ironic that the Irish Government will see the DUP, which is the second largest party on the council, elected mayor for the first time in 22 years.

“They would be better off looking at the lack of Protestants in the Garda and the declining overall Protestant population.

“The Irish Republic has seen the greatest population shift of an ethnic minority prior to Bosnia.

"There were over 10% Protestants but that has now dropped to two per cent.”