Tom Elliott interview: a positive union
Tom Elliott tells Meadhbh Monahan about his plans for running the UUP like a business, public sector efficiency and a Northern Ireland where everyone is comfortable within the union.
Being a unionist party without MPs is “difficult” Tom Elliott concedes. Three weeks into the job as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Elliott is getting used to the task of directing and disciplining a party that now has no voice in the House of Commons.
David Cameron wants to continue the UUP-Tory relationship “at a fairly high level” but Elliott is more reluctant. He’s considering something similar to a past arrangement whereby the UUP candidates would take the Conservative whip in Westminster, if elected.
Elliott wants a “positive working relationship between the two parties but not just on an electoral relationship like UCUNF”.
He argues: “We still have 17 MLAs, an MEP and somewhere in the region of 115 councillors so we are a party that can bring something to the table.”
The UUP also has a “direct line” to the Conservatives. “It doesn’t say they will listen to us all the time but at least we are there and we are tic-tacking all the time and are getting practical issues brought to them at an early stage and they are bringing issues back to us,” Elliott remarks. The two parties will submit position papers at the end of October.
Bearing in mind he is considering taking the Tory whip, agendaNi asks him why Northern Ireland needs its own unionist parties. Elliott replies that the make-up of political parties in the province is “a reflection of our unique history and the choices the electorate has made, not a matter of need.”
He argues that Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems have all tried to secure a foothold in Northern Ireland at some time, with “limited success” and ultimately, it is up to the public to decide. However, Elliott contends that “the Ulster Unionist Party is committed to having strong relations with the United Kingdom and normalising politics in Northern Ireland to ensure that we can move beyond exclusively constitutional issues.”
He says he doesn’t agree with everything the Coalition Government is proposing, regarding cuts, but adds: “We are broadly coming at it from the same direction [and] we understand that there’s a difficult financial time and that has to be dealt with … We don’t want cuts just for the sake of cuts and that means we have to be practical in making savings in Northern Ireland as well.”
Efficiency savings have to be made, he insists. And he suggests that businesspeople be considered for senior civil service positions.
“There is a lack of knowledge about how the private sector works.” Private sector employees “would give a better balance to the departments to realise the difficulties and pressures there are in the private sector,” Elliott states.
The UUP will be run “like a business” in order to achieve the best for the people of Northern Ireland, he adds. Elliott agrees that departments and MLAs should be cut and that the Executive needs to sit down and discuss exactly how many.
“I’m in favour of a reduction in governance in Northern Ireland but it shouldn’t just be limited to the Assembly. The DUP had an opportunity to do something about efficiency savings in local government and they didn’t do it,” he remarks.
He is annoyed that there are over 70 quangos and non-departmental government bodies in “quango-land”, and that these have increased following devolution, rather than being phased out.
“We need a complete review and to cut out a lot of that system that’s not required,” he believes, adding that some of these are only being used by government “to pass the buck.”
Discipline
Elliott courted controversy during his first week as leader when he refused to accept an invitation to a GAA match from his colleague Trevor Ringland, saying he was not interested in the sport. Ringland subsequently resigned. Then, Paula Bradshaw left the party when she wasn’t selected as an Assembly candidate for South Belfast.
When Elliott sent a letter about party discipline to members – telling them that “all media appearances and contributions [must be] cleared in advance through the central press office” and that “failure to do so will result in disciplinary action” – it was promptly leaked to the media.
“That’s what saddens me somewhat, that some party members will do that,” Elliott responds. “That’s very difficult [but] I suppose in a party of volunteers it’s very difficult to stop those types of leaks. What I’m saying to the party is: ‘You are either with us or against us.’ This isn’t about me, it’s about the party.”
He says it is unfortunate that Paula Bradshaw left and agrees that the party does need more women. However, the party also needs “more young people, it needs more men, it needs more society.”
The UUP is the largest party in membership, Elliott states. But he sees a need to attract its “broad-based vote” again. “The only way of doing that is to make sure you have policies that are relevant to the people.”
Policy
In formulating those policies Elliott will always “appeal to the grassroots.” He says: “I come from a broad society. I always like to think as a grassroots person. Every decision that I am going to make or everything that I am looking at, I think: ‘How would the general public and the grassroots view that?’ You really must try to do what the grassroots in general think is good and right.”
When it is put to him that this might be what has held back younger voters or the ‘Catholic unionist’ from voting for the UUP in the past, Elliott argues that the ‘grassroots’ contains a substantial number of young people and “wider society.”
The UUP is an “integrationist party” that “wants everyone to work together, [and wants Northern Ireland] to be comfortable for everyone to live in, not just unionists,” he states.
Elliott wants everyone living in Northern Ireland – whether they want to be part of the union or not – “to feel that the union is good for them, be comfortable and have equal rights.”
This can only be achieved if we “live in a positive manner together, instead of a carve-up”. Criticising OFMDFM he says: “Instead of working together, [Sinn Fé́in and the DUP] are working together to be apart.”
When the UUP and the SDLP were in the “old Assembly”, policy and legislation came from the Executive, he contends. “Now it seems to come from OFMDFM first and they decide if it goes to the Executive.”
Elliott is “quite happy to work with other parties.” He cites the UUP and SDLP’s desire for “society to work together instead of a carve-up” – particularly in relation to the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy.
Economy
Elliott wants to sell the economic and social benefits of being in the union. “We need a strong economic base,” he contends. “That was relevant during this recession when the Republic of Ireland, with a much smaller economic base, have struggled much more than we have because we are part of the larger UK.”
He adds that if it hadn’t been for the recession, “the moves in Scotland for independence would have been much sooner, but they have come to realise the benefits of the union.”
The UUP’s election strategy will be based on his wish to “bring the party forward”.
“It goes back to the whole issue of grassroots and ensuring that our policies match what broadly is good for the people of Northern Ireland,” he states.
“There is no use in having a good thought process or saying things that aren’t relevant or practical to do. We need to say things that are relevant to the grassroots but are practical to achieve.”
The “bread and butter” issues facing his ‘grassroots’ demographic are the economy and trust.
“I think the scandal around expenses, particularly in Westminster, has left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot of the public, so we have a huge job of work to do to build up that trust. That’s why we have to go back to the general public and the grassroots and try to build that up,” Elliott explains.
He adds that work has to be done to restore trust. “Instead of blustering about making changes, we need to make them,” he insists. “If we are going to reduce the number of departments, MLAs, NGOs and quangos, let’s do it. If we need to make efficiencies in government, let’s do it,” he challenges.
“I will be the first to admit that, as with private business you don’t always get the decisions right, but you’ll certainly not get them right if you don’t make them.”
Traditional
During his leadership campaign, Elliott spoke of his traditional unionist values. He defines these as “being positive about the union.”
He explains: “I come from a mixed community. We live together peacefully and while some people want a united Ireland, we want to stay within the union. But I’m wise enough to know that life moves on and traditional values can move on as well. In today’s society it has moved on, we are in a different era than we were in 25 or even 15 years ago.”
Back then, Elliott admits, his values meant “ensuring that I didn’t have a holiday in the Republic.” He notes that “now that’s not the case. I can go on holiday in the Republic of Ireland with comfort.”
When he was “running about”, there were some pubs he didn’t go to in Enniskillen because of religious divisions. “That has broadly changed now because no-one passes any remarks on what religion you are. That’s how society has moved on. To me that’s actually coming back into more traditional unionist values whereby you can live in peace with one another.”
When asked how being a member of the Orange Order, which is often perceived as being anti-Catholic, fits into his vision of a peaceful union, Elliott contends: “Being a part of the Orange Order is no different from being a member of any other organisation.”
He adds: “I’m a member of the Church of Ireland and it is unashamedly Protestant. So the Orange Order is a cultural religious organisation that I belong to. I’ve nothing to hide from being a part of it.
“I go out and sell the message of the Orange Order to a variety of groups.”
At one of those meetings in Bundoran he gave a presentation about what the order means to his community in County Fermanagh and outlined the origins of the parades and the religious aspect of the organisation. A former GAA President gave a similar presentation about the GAA and afterwards Elliott answered “some quite aggressive questions”.
“At least the people were very responsive about it and told me when they were leaving that they had a much better understanding of my organisation, and I had [a better understanding] of the GAA as well.”
Elliott concludes: “It’s a respect issue. I am not by any means anti-Catholic at all and I don’t want to be seen as that. While I don’t agree with some other organisations, what I do have is a respect and a belief that they have a right to participate in them. I am all-embracing and just because I belong to an organisation and a tradition, that isn’t to say that I despise or don’t like others.”
