The Final Word
Appeal to Ministers to get back to the ‘ creaking in-trays ’
Dawn Johnston , Chairperson , Chartered Accountants Ulster Society
or one reason or another , I suspect that for some on the hill , the Christmas and
FNew Year break comes as very welcome relief .
Closing the curtains , shutting the door and sitting in front of a cosy fire must have been blissful – albeit not uninterrupted .
The latter part of 2016 has been a period of whitehot intensity when the slings and arrows of outrageous local politics were given added piquancy . Scandal stalked the corridors of Stormont , and we remain intrigued by the daily instalments that call governance and stewardship into question .
As if this wasn ’ t enough , we also missed a few budget deadlines . Devolution , political reputations and accountability were all ‘ casualties ’.
If it wasn ’ t the disastrous Renewable Heat Initiative , it was the Social Investment Fund , a ward closure , the health of the deputy First Minister or the Draft Programme for Government , which is meant to be the touchstone of this Assembly mandate .
I don ’ t think any of us have ever witnessed anything like what dominated our news bulletins throughout the festive period .
Santa has been unceremoniously elbowed out of the way as acrimonious politics takes centrestage in the place of peace on earth and goodwill to all .
In the midst of great tumult , Chartered Accountants Ulster Society did its bit to lighten the mood and do some good at the same time .
Our Christmas Charity Lunch attracted four hundred and eightyfive members and their guests . We raised £ 8,000 , which was matched by our event sponsor , Barclays , all of which went to this year ’ s charity , Friends of the Cancer Centre .
In addition , the foyer in the Europa took on the appearance of Santa ’ s Grotto as hundreds of toys worth thousands of pounds were handed over by diners .
They were shared between St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army Family Appeal in time for Kris Kringle to deliver to children .
So , it wasn ’ t all despondency in December ! A lot of good things happened , and will continue to happen as we head into a new year with fresh hurdles and uncertainty to overcome .
Right now , the crystal ball is cloudy when it comes to working out how and where we in Northern Ireland will be affected by Brexit . Will we lose out on EU funding ? Can there be
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a soft border with our neighbour ? Are there upsides to the Referendum vote to leave the EU and , if so , will the positives outweigh the downside ?
I ’ m sorry I don ’ t have answers to these questions , and my fervent hope is that the current political upheaval will settle down sooner rather than later to allow our political parties to fully address all of the issues thrown up by Brexit .
We desperately need a strategy to deal with the fallout from the vote and that must take into account what our members in business and practice have to say about it all .
Corporation tax remains an important issue for Northern Ireland .
Again , it ’ s a case of more questions than answers . Here , there ’ s anxiety over the timetable for the devolution of the power to set the rate locally and the possibility that it will have reduced impact and effectiveness because of what happens on the national stage .
Our members , by and large , still view a lower rate as crucial to allowing us to compete with our neighbours .
We also need to see progress on improving Northern Ireland productivity to help us compete more effectively . We would also like to see a concerted effort being made to boost innovation and retain talent rather than seeing it head to pastures new .
There ’ s a creaking intray for Ministers in the Executive . Yes , they ’ ve had to deal with the distraction of serious issues in recent weeks – and it ’ s right that they should be
QUOTABLEQUOTE
Corporation tax remains an important issue for Northern Ireland . Again , it ’ s a case of more questions than answers . Here , there ’ s anxiety over the timetable for the devolution of the power to set the rate locally and the possibility that it will have reduced impact and effectiveness because of what happens on the national stage . Our members , by and large , still view a lower rate as crucial to allowing us to compete with our neighbours .
sorted out with decisive action and not mere soundbites .
That said , they must now get back to the seemingly more mundane but nonetheless significant challenges that beset our economy .
If they don ’ t , then the early promise that this Assembly would be characterised by delivery will have a pretty hollow ring to it indeed .