PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT – PRESS STATEMENT

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SDLP MLA BURNS: DISMAYED BY ‘FORTRESS STORMONT’
 

The days of an open parliament building designed to create a notion of public ownership of a new and exciting concept in democracy have come to an end with the installation of new search facilities and the closing of the front entrance to Parliament Buildings.

New regulations have been issued to members complete with a map dotted with red lines of where it is now ‘out of bounds’ for the intrepid visitor.

South Antrim SDLP MLA Thomas Burns stated:

“In the distant past Ian Paisley led thousands of his followers to Stormont and preached from the balcony with not as much as a single question about security but now that the DUP is in control it seems that the rules of the game have changed.

“Now it is Fortress Stormont with the place coming down with security staff and police. It is like a scene from the Russian Kremlin before Perestroika and Glasnost

“While security must always be a consideration I believe this is over the top and doesn’t help engender confidence in a system which set out to be open and transparent and a breath of fresh air from what happened in the distant past when Unionists met in secret to carve up power.

“We have heard of the term ‘triple lock’ which arose out of the Saint Andrews Agreement but now we have another ‘triple lock’. When you arrive at the front gate there is security, then there is the posh new security facility at the Glen East access road and finally there is the third check at the East Door. It makes airport security look casual.”

ENDS