Unionists react with fury at Hain economy remarks

Unionist politicians have acted with fury at comments made by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain that the Northern Ireland economy was "not sustainable in the long term" and that "the island of Ireland should in future be marketed as a single entity".

According to New York weekly newspaper the Irish Echo, Mr Hain said: "In future decades, it is going to be increasingly difficult to look at the economy of north and south except as a sort of island of Ireland economy.

"We are deepening north-south co-operation in a number of areas.

"The Northern Ireland economy, though it is doing better than ever in its history, is not sustainable in the long-term.

"I don`t want the Northern Ireland economy to be a dependent economy as it is now, with a sort of UK `big brother` umbrella over it. It needs to be much more self-sufficient, so that`s what we`re trying to do."

DUP leader Ian Paisley described the remarks as disgraceful.

"He has never been a friend of Northern Ireland and by making that statement he has tried to undermine all the good work that has been done to get American firms into Northern Ireland," the North Antrim MP said. "Peter Hain has come, Peter Hain will go but Ulster will go on forever. He should resign and go home."

Senior Ulster Unionist Michael McGimpsey said Mr Hain was in denial.

“The Secretary of State is in denial, as are Sinn Fein and the SDLP," the south Belfast MLA said. "We are part of the UK - a market of 60 million people. And yet Mr Hain wants us to tie in with a market of four million people.

“The Republic of Ireland would be better off integrating with the United Kingdom rather with Northern Ireland. This is green political correctness from a Secretary of State who is divorced from the realities of the Northern Ireland economy."

(MB/SP)