UUP deputy chair re-elected

Mr Wright was reinstalled unopposed to the position at the UUP's Annual General Meeting in Belfast last weekend.

Speaking after his nomination had been ratified, the Londonderry teacher paid tribute to the local membership of the UUP for their support in the past two years.

"The last two years have been eventful and challenging as the party has come back from electoral setbacks, often in the face of an unsympathetic media and the ambivalence and indifference of the Government which has shown itself to be concerned with only the two larger parties, Sinn Fin and the DUP.

"In the face of this the party has re-organised financially and modernised, gained success in local elections with two young female candidates, established links with the Conservative party which are going to be to the long-term benefit of the people of Northern Ireland and, in spite of all predictions to the contrary, emerged stronger from the European elections.

"Its selection and training procedure for candidates has become more professional and whilst there are still goals to achieve, the imminent General Election will be the first test for many new candidates selected under the new rules and the party is confident of making inroads in terms of returning UUP candidates to Westminster."

The UUP man said that he has been "privileged" to be part of various projects which have moved the party forward and praised his colleagues in the Foyle Unionist Association for their support.

"Councillor Mary Hamilton has been unstinting in her support and the advice and encouragement of former Party Chairman and Treasurer, Jack Allen OBE has been invaluable."

Mr Wright also paid tribute to the support and commitment of the local party officers, party staff and members.

"It is because of this that I submitted my name again for re-election and it is an honour to have been elected once again," he said.

Terry Wright also maintains that coming from Foyle has enabled him to bring a particular perspective to the centre of the party.

He said: "During the Home Rule Crisis of the early 20th century, Londonderry was described as the microcosm of the Irish Question. Over 100 years later there is still an element of truth in the comment. Politics locally, in spite of all we hoped to gain under the Belfast Agreement of 1998, continue to be dominated by communal and factional interests, nurturing and exploiting age-old tensions and promoting divisive populism in pursuit of power.

"The effects of this are seen in the inequality experienced by the unionist majority, the strained state of community relations and the stalled if not stagnant economic re-generation, which can only be measured thus far in the large quantity of data obtained, documents published and strategic groups organised."

The UUP Deputy Chairman stated that Stormont committees formed to ensure representation for all are acting only as entities expressing disunity and self-interested doctrinaire political agendas which are "no recipe for progress and meaningful action."

"There is a lesson for Northern Ireland which, one hopes, may be emerging from the inertia of a dysfunctional Executive at Stormont at least until the next Sinn Fein-DUP stand-off.

"The UUP is committed to the preservation of the union but it is also interested in working collaboratively to create and secure a better future for all, regardless of political differences, creed, ethnicity or race.

"It does so linked to the Conservative party which, under the leadership of David Cameron, can aspire to government at Westminster. In this it is unique and it is this uniqueness which can command the support of the electorate," he said.

Mr Wright said that it is only now, more than a decade after his party began the process, are parties, "the DUP being the best example, beginning to talk of taking Northern Ireland forward...

"In adopting the policies and principled strategies which it has, the UUP, under the leadership of Sir Reg Empey, provides an answer not just to the situation in Foyle but in Northern Ireland as a whole.

"The UUP can, because of its re-organisation, modernisation, commitment to non-sectarianism and, through its links with the Conservative party, the nurturing of a pluralist society, offer focused and issue-centred representation and governance to Northern Ireland and beyond.

When compared to others there is very clear choice and as a member of an increasingly confident party I hope to ensure that the electorate understands the choice which lies before it and affirms, through casting its vote for the UUP, the project to secure the Union and change Northern Ireland for the better, not just for present but for future generations," he concluded.