That was the message from First Minister Rt Hon Dr Ian Paisley MP, MLA as he spoke to an audience of local business people at the CBI annual dinner.
Dr Paisley said: “As I leave my post as First Minister I depart knowing that in my heart Ulster is not facing further years in the economic wilderness; it is not making daily newspaper headlines across the world and its communities are not ridden with fear, anxiety and suspicion.
“Four decades on we now have a bright light pointing the clear way ahead. I believe I have played my part in bringing that brightness back and that light to the road that all of us must travel."
Dr Paisley added: “Through out my life my one driving force has been to deliver a peaceful prosperous society for the people of Northern Ireland. In the past twelve months we have built the foundations, developed the strategies and agreed the plans to achieve this vision. We must now turn our focus to delivery. Vision without delivery is nothing more than a daydream. Our new keyword must be action, Northern Ireland is ready for action.
“We have set ourselves ambitious targets, targets designed to increase the volume of high value jobs, and to increase productivity and international trade. Our programmes will support the business community and encourage the growth of the Private Sector. Local and foreign owned businesses will develop and fully utilize the skills of our well educated workforce. Northern Ireland will once again become a world leader.
“The Investment Conference in May will put Northern Ireland firmly on the agenda for US investors. It will be a key landmark on the road towards our development as a key competitor on the world stage. We will deliver a modern dynamic economy which attracts increasing numbers of overseas investors and where our young people have the jobs and the career opportunities which allow them to stay.”
In his speech the First Minister also outlined how the £20billion investment strategy will create the physical infrastructure required in a twenty first century Northern Ireland.
“This unprecedented programme has already begun the delivery process with a number of major schemes already in procurement. Up to £6billion of projects will be delivered in the coming three years alone including a major expansion of our strategic roads network, major investment in our education system and regeneration schemes that will continue the transformation of our cities.
“There is hard work ahead. But with a locally elected government, working closely with our business community, the legacy of the last twelve months will I have no doubt be the deliverance of a peaceful prosperous society.”
Notes to Editors:
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Speech by Rt Hon Dr Ian Paisley MP MLA
First Minister of Northern Ireland
At the CBI annual dinner in the Ramada Hotel,
On Thursday 24 April 2008
Distinguished guests, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a pleasure for me to be with you this evening.
To those who are expecting to hear a detailed exposition of government policies or an in-depth view of the current economic and business outlook, then I am going to disappoint you.
Rather, tonight I am going to go back to my roots and bring you a brief sermon, a timely and informative message entitled ‘One Year On’.
The key to a good sermon is a good subject, divided into at least three points and with the simplicity of alliteration.
My first point is Faith
I am not going to speak of my spiritual faith, although most people in Northern Ireland are well aware of my position on that matter. I have made no secret of my personal faith, and do not see it as a separate part of my life.
The faith I want to speak of tonight is the faith that brought me to this point, my faith in this Province and my faith in the people of Northern Ireland.
Ulster is the land of my birth, the land I love and the land I have sought to serve during my lifetime.
As many of you know, I was born in Armagh, brought up in Ballymena, work and live in Belfast. From the mountains of Mourne where I spent my childhood holidays, to the lakes of Fermanagh and up to the Glens of Antrim and the Giant’s Causeway where I serve my constituents, is surely one of the most beautiful parts of the entire world.
I am reminded of some lines from Sir Walter Scott’s poem ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’, which I learnt in school:
‘Breathes there a man with soul so dead
Who never to himself has said, ‘This is my own, my native land.’
Over the past number of months I have had the great privilege of representing this country to the many visitors who have come to see us, and also those whom we travelled to see in Europe, America and elsewhere. My message to all those people is the same – Northern Ireland is the best place in which to live, learn, work and invest.
As we approach the first anniversary of devolved government in Northern Ireland it is worth pausing for a moment and reflecting on the long and often difficult journey we have all travelled.
Our Province is a very different place today compared to when I first entered public life. Many of you here this evening remember the days of tragedy and despair when people across Northern Ireland struggled in the face of adversity.
During the course of the Troubles, businessmen and women regularly had to pick up the pieces after their businesses and livelihoods were destroyed. How often we read the notice boldly displayed on business premises, ‘Business as Usual’. Tonight we say ‘Never again are we going back to those days.’
After years of talking and many start-stop initiatives, devolved government on an exclusively democratic basis, was established on 8th May last year.
Already we see the advantage of having our own devolved administration taking decisions on important issues. Initiatives such as reducing taxes on businesses, and showcasing Northern Ireland around the world, would never have come from a direct rule administration staffed by MPs representing mainland constituencies, and who had no personal stake in seeing Ulster succeed in the way that we do.
Recent announcements concerning the creation of jobs demonstrate that Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland practical co-operation based on mutual benefit is now the defining characteristic of how we interact with our nearest neighbour.
Northern Ireland is no longer in the valley of despair.
We have become a beacon of hope, working to harness all the energy and talent that abounds for the benefit of the people of Northern Ireland.
Throughout my public life I have been amazed at the energy, resilience, motivation and determination of the Ulster people. They have been, and remain, our best resource. It is a privilege to represent the people of North Antrim at Westminster, a job I have been doing since 1970. Earlier that same year the people of the Northern Ireland constituency of Bannside – the former seat of the Northern Ireland Prime Minister Terence O’Neill - elected me to the Stormont Parliament. In 1979 I had the honour of being elected to the European Parliament as the first of three directly-elected Members.
Over a 25-year span my mandate was renewed and strengthened on a further four occasions, in 1984, 89, 94 and 99.
During those years Northern Ireland’s representatives in Europe laid the foundations for a successful and fruitful relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe. Consequently, Northern Ireland is no longer the sick man of Europe.
During the past 38 years as an MP I have had most instructive, interesting and at times humorous experiences. Let me give you just one example.
On opening my mail one morning I read the following:
‘Dear Mr Paisley, You are my MP. My wife and I both voted for you at the recent election.
‘A terrible thing has happened to my wife. She has had her infidelity payments stopped, and we do not know what to do. Can you try to get this infidelity money back, as my wife cannot manage without it.’
I really laughed when I read that letter. ‘Infidelity’ payments! Appealing to an MP to have them restored! Of course, the dear man meant invalidity benefit. Thankfully I was able to have the matter sorted and the benefit restored.
Within a few days I received a very nice letter of thanks, but to my constituent nothing had changed, it was still ‘infidelity’ benefit! It could only happen in Ulster!
For humour, openness and gratitude, there are no people like the Ulster people, and I thank God for the honour of serving them.
In every aspect of my political life there has been a clear driving force, an ambition to deliver for the people of Northern Ireland, to build a peaceful, fair and prosperous society with respect for the rule of law, and where everyone can enjoy a better quality of life now and in the years to come. This is the over-arching aim in our Executive’s Programme for Government.
My Second Point is Foundation
I would like to outline the foundation on which we have built over the past twelve months.
Tonight’s event takes place at a very significant time.
Just a few weeks ago, the Northern Ireland Executive issued and approved its first Programme for Government, Investment Strategy and Budget.
These plans were put forward by locally elected and accountable politicians who are dedicated to delivering a better and more stable future for Northern Ireland.
We see our economy as the battlefield. It is here the battle will be waged and it will be here that the victory will be gained.
On this front a firm foundation has been laid, in that we have built a pro-business programme that has as its top priority the development of our economy.
We have set stretching targets to increase the volume of high-value jobs and improve our productivity.
Our thinking is crystal clear – increased productivity and international trade are key to promoting our economy.
Our programmes will support the business community and encourage the growth of the private sector. Local and foreign owned businesses will develop and fully utilize the skills of our well-educated workforce and continue to grow in this ever-changing world.
Promoting the economy will make a difference right across the Province and will lead to improved public service.
Northern Ireland, which once had the largest ship-building works in the world, the largest rope-works in the world, the largest linen manufacturing in the world, and still has a large aircraft manufacturing works, has the potential to become a world leader once again.
It has had a far-reaching tradition of businesses and has excelled in innovation. Working with you and others, we believe we can do it again!
In order to promote opportunities for foreign business investment, a major US/NI Investment Conference will take place in Belfast a fortnight today. We will present the Northern Ireland business package to over 80 senior American business executives during a 2-day programme which will include meetings with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Taoiseach.
The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, whom I met in December and again earlier this month, will also be attending and will be accompanied by a number of business associates. They will be visiting us for the first time, and I believe they will return, because Northern Ireland is going places!
We will take our visitors all over Northern Ireland and I know they will be impressed by what they will see.
President Bush also strongly endorsed the Conference during his St Patrick’s Day speech at the White House, when he announced that he would be sending a high level delegation to represent him.
I have no doubt that this Conference will put Northern Ireland firmly on the agenda for US investors – it is an opportunity not to be missed.
It will be a key landmark on the road towards the establishment of Northern Ireland as a modern dynamic economy attracting increasing numbers of overseas investors, and where our young people have the jobs and career opportunities which allow them to stay.
However, we are not going to sit waiting for the economy to grow. Alongside the Programme for Government we recently launched an unprecedented £20 billion investment programme to build our infrastructure.
The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland represents the largest and most ambitious programme in our history. The Executive is determined to transform the infrastructure of the province to meet the needs of this 21st century.
These plans include –
- A major expansion of our strategic roads network;
- Supporting the private sector to keep our Telecommunications at the leading edge;
- Regeneration schemes to continue the transformation of our cities;
- Substantial investment in the treatment of waste and the quality of our drinking water;
- Development of tourism and other matters which are critical in the delivery of our economic, social and environmental goals in the years ahead.
This is no fairy-tale!
A number of major schemes in this programme are already in procurement with more in the pipeline. Up to £6billion to be delivered in the coming three years alone.
In addition to the economic growth priority and the investment funding, we have delivered a foundation built on peace and stability -
- A stability that some said would not last;
- A stability that has been tested;
- A stability that has weathered the storms;
- A stability that is firmly rooted in looking to the future;
- And a stability that is a key incentive for us all to make the best of those future opportunities.
That brings me to my last point – The Future
As I have said, the foundations have been laid, the strategy has been developed, and the plans have been agreed. We must now focus on delivery.
Vision without delivery is a daydream. That is why Action must be a key word for our Executive.
Our attention must also be turned to delivering the goals and targets we have set.
This is the challenge before us. It is now a challenge for the next generation to take forward.
As you know, I announced in February that I would leave the office of First Minister before the summer. That decision was based on knowing that I had delivered what I set out to achieve.
- Firstly, the recognition of the supremacy of the ballot box;
- Secondly, both communities fully involved in a respectful society which recognises the rule of law within the United Kingdom;
- Thirdly, an effective, stable, locally accountable government with a strong foundation and a clear plan to regain prosperity for this great little province.
As I leave the high level political stage in a few week’s time, I will depart knowing in my heart that Ulster is not at a crossroads.
It is not facing further years in the economic wilderness; it is not making daily headlines across the world due to sickening atrocities claiming countless lives, and its communities are not ridden with fear, anxiety and suspicion of what the next day will bring.
The Ulster we have today, and which I have led since May 2007, has already travelled many miles beyond that crossroads. Yes, it has been a long journey. I have walked every step of it. Yes, we must remember the past, but we must also focus on the future, and the Executive is doing just that.
Ulster is ready for fresh challenges and is demonstrating a growing confidence and optimism in itself and in its abilities to become a global competitor once more.
For the first time in almost four decades, we now have a bright light pointing the way ahead where previously we had darkness and despair. I believe I have played my part in bringing that focus back, returning that brightness and that light on the road that all of us must travel.
There will of course be others who in the coming weeks will offer judgement on my stewardship, but I am confident that the legacy which I leave will prove to be a positive and enduring one for those who follow.
I have presided over the launching of this Ship of State, and it is proving to be sea-worthy. It has moved out on its first voyage, carrying the best wishes of the majority of the people in our Province. I believe it can accomplish the voyage on which it has set out.
I appeal for a united and determined support for its journey and its aims.
This is the one chance we have to bring about the achievement to which we are all pledged, and rid ourselves of the bad old days.
There can be no turning back.
With deliberation, dedication and dogged determination, we must go full steam ahead.
May God Almighty help us all to have the Faith; to build on the Foundations, and shape the Future for everyone, and may He be pleased to prosper our voyage and bring us to the desired haven of lasting peace and prosperity.
