Douglas claims unionists have been betrayed by deal

Mr Douglas stated: "Unionists have been disillusioned by the fact the our MP's and Assembly members were sitting in Hillsborough Castle with Sinn Fin discussing how they could further one of Sinn Fin's key objectives to gain effective control over policing and justice."

Mr Douglas, who left the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in 1997 because of his opposition to the Good Friday Agreement was elected to Limavady Borough Council in 1997. Despite resigning he was elected to the Assembly in 1998 as an independent unionist and with two other anti-agreement Unionists, he formed the United Unionist Coalition. He retained his seat on the council in 2001, but lost his Assembly seat, along with all the other Coalition MLAs, in 2003. In 2005, he was able to top the poll in his seat in Limavady.

"In 1998 the UUP stuck a deadly blow to the future of unionism by embracing Sinn Fin and nine years later the DUP also rolled over and accepted to share power with Sinn Fin.

"During those years both parties swore that republicans would never win, now both unionist parties call them colleagues.

"Throughout the last two weeks the DUP repeatedly stated that they were trying to do a deal. Long gone are the days when Ian Paisley said that Sinn Fin could only enter government 'over my dead body.' But, Dr ian Paisley's promises now mean next to nothing," said Boyd Douglas.

Last Friday, after two weeks of intense negotiations, the DUP and Sinn Fin struck a deal ensuring that the Assembly will have control over the administration of policing and the judiciary in Northern Ireland. But, Boyd Douglas maintains the move represents a betrayal of traditional unionist principles.

He said: "The DUP said in their 2005 manifesto they would not sit in government with terrorists, but in a matter of weeks they had carried out the ultimate betrayal and have promised much but delivered nothing and have never vetoed Sinn Fin as promised, following the St Andrew's agreement.

"It is now clear the British government aided and abetted by weak unionist politicians caved in to this key republican objective. It will now only merely be a question of the mathematics of electoral strength to ensure that the likes of Gerry Kelly could be the Minister for Policing and Justice.

"Who within the unionist community would have ever considered that the very organisation that had systematically undermined the rule of law, murdered and maimed those who had fought to uphold it, will possibly hold these critical powers aided and abetted by politicians we thought we could trust?"