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Karen Bradley has faced robust questions in a Northern Ireland housing estate as local women voiced anger and frustration about Brexit and the Stormont impasse.<\/p>\nKaren Bradley has faced robust questions in a Northern Ireland housing estate as local women voiced anger and frustration about Brexit and the Stormont impasse.<\/p>\n
The Northern Ireland Secretary\u2019s visit to an art class for women\u2019s groups in the loyalist Old Warren estate in Lisburn developed into an intense political grilling on Thursday as she was challenged on the mounting problems facing communities across the region.<\/p>\n
Mrs Bradley was forced to defend Theresa May’s Brexit deal, rejecting claims from some of the women present that Northern Ireland was set to be treated differently than the rest of the UK.<\/p>\n
But while Brexit was the early focus of the exchanges at the Resurgam Trust center, questions soon shifted to the two-year powersharing crisis, with Mrs Bradley\u2019s government accused of not doing enough to get MLAs back to work.<\/p>\n
Stormont has been without a functioning devolved executive since January 2017 when it imploded amid a bitter row between the DUP and Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n
All subsequent political efforts to revive the institutions have failed as public services have been left in a limbo land between devolution and direct rule.<\/p>\n
Mother-of-four Emma Cairns told Mrs Bradley the situation was \u201cridiculous\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur schools and our education \u2013 it all has to continue to suffer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Another woman told Mrs Bradley that schools in the area had run out of toilet roll due to budget cuts.<\/p>\n
The Conservative MP replied: \u201cThat\u2019s why I want the politicians to do the right thing, I want them to do the right thing by the people who elected them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Cairns responded: \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have been given more than ample opportunity to do the right thing and they are not.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who else do we go to because we are just played this constant drab of \u2018yes, we have given them a chance and we can extend it (talks deadlines) and we\u2019re doing this and we\u2019re doing that and nothing is showing, nothing is being done, we\u2019re not feeling it here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afterwards nurse Stacey McCormick said there was a lot of frustration in the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started off quite calm and relaxed but towards the end it got really frustrating people started to get angry because obviously they were getting things off their chests and getting to be able to vent things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it had gone on another few minutes it might have got a lot worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWe don\u2019t have anybody that wants to listen to us. Politicians don\u2019t care, they don\u2019t want to know. They only want you when it comes to voting time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe health care system is falling apart.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe waiting lists have just tripled and it\u2019s going to get worse because nurses are leaving the healthcare system because they don\u2019t feel welcome with Brexit coming up, it\u2019s going to get worse\u201d.<\/p>\n
Heather Cairns, who asked Mrs Bradley during the visit how long she was going to wait to introduce direct rule, said she hoped the visit had genuine motives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it isn\u2019t a PR thing, because in the news with Theresa May and Northern Ireland is at the forefront of all this (Brexit) and I am hoping it isn\u2019t \u2018let\u2019s just focus on it for five minutes and then just go away’, I hope she genuinely is listening\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course I understand their frustration, I am frustrated too.<\/p>\n
Afterwards Mrs Bradley said she welcomed hearing the views.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s really interesting to me is the thing that exercises people the most is a lack of devolved government in Stormont and wanting to see those politicians back at the top of the hill doing what they were elected to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I understand their frustration, I am frustrated too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of Northern Ireland deserve better, they deserve their politicians doing the right thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really interesting to hear the views that I heard round the table on \u2018just get in and run those schools and hospitals, just do the right thing by the people who elected you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n