Sinn Féin criticised over Westminster abstentionist policy

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness came under pressure over Sinn Féin’s abstentionist policy during the last major television debate involving Northern Ireland politicians ahead of Thursday’s Westminster general election.

Mr McGuinness said Sinn Féin did not take its seats in the House of Commons because it did not want to “bestow legitimacy” on Britain having sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

During the BBC debate chaired by Noel Thompson, he said all the major agreements such as the Belfast Agreement, the St Andrews Agreement and the Stormont House Agreement were negotiated among local parties and the British and Irish governments rather than in the House of Commons.

The DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds who is running in North Belfast where he is the incumbent said as Sinn Féin did not take its seats it could not have "influence over Westminster".

Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan who is standing in Foyle as outgoing MP said its MPs went to the House of Commons "to take our seats to take a stand". While party leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell has been accused of being a poor attender at Westminster Mr Durkan said he had responsibilities because he was both an MP and an Assembly member.

Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt said how "MPs stopped David Cameron going to war with Syria" demonstrated that MPs did have influence in the House of Commons.

Alliance deputy leader Naomi Long who is seeking to hold her seat in East Belfast said the budget for Northern Ireland was "set in Westminster" and this would have a direct impact on the amount of money that was available for issues such as health and education.

Mr McGuinness called for a referendum on same sex marriage as is happening in the South.

Mr Nesbitt said the UUP had “zero tolerance of homophobia”. In the UUP matters such as same sex marriage were a matter of conscience while he believed marriage was between a man and a woman.

Mr Dodds also said he too defended the “traditional view of marriage” and rejected claims that the DUP was opposed to the LGBT community.

During the debate Mr McGuinness and Mr Dodds clashed over the past with the DUP urging the Deputy First Minister to apologise for IRA killings. Mr McGuinness in turn said unionists should face up to issues such as unionist discrimination and collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.

On welfare reform Mr McGuinness said the present logjam could be resolved. Justifying Sinn Féin’s opposition to welfare change he said a government “will be judged on how it deals with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged”.

Mr Dodds said that a current penalty of £100 million for not implementing welfare change was taking “£2 million a week out of the (Northern Executive) budget”.