Simon Hamilton MLA said,
“Jim Shannon has given a quarter of century of service to the people of Strangford, helping them on a whole range of issues, not least on issues about roads maintenance and safety. By contrast, Mike Nesbitt would need sat-nav to find his way around Strangford.
Stick to dealing with “potholes in Portaferry”. That was the condescending advice of Mike Nesbitt to Jim Shannon, the local man who has served this constituency for some 25 years as a councillor and 12 years as an Assembly Member.
Mr. Nesbitt showed clearly that he doesn’t consider dealing with road maintenance issues in the constituency to be a priority for anyone who aspires to be an MP. By the same logic, were he elected he wouldn’t even lobby for proper funding for roads for the Northern Ireland Executive, being obliged to support massive Tory cuts.
Mike is committed, in the very, very unlikely event of being chosen to be our MP to taking the Tory whip at Westminster. As someone who is so focused on Westminster and arrogantly insists that Jim Shannon should stay “on the ground” Mr. Nesbitt should be aware of what is going on at Westminster. He should be aware, but clearly he isn’t.
Anne Main is the Conservative MP for St. Albans. Were he elected, Mike Nesbitt would be taking the same Tory whip as her. This week she has secured an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the subject of Potholes and Road Maintenance!
Perhaps Mr. Nesbitt thinks that Anne Main is not properly representing her constituents? After all, roads maintenance is a local government matter on the mainland. He might not consider the standard of Strangford roads to be important but clearly his colleague Mrs. Main does about roads in St. Albans!
This episode speaks volumes to the aloofness and arrogance of the UCUNF nominee. He sneers at local man Jim Shannon and tells him to concentrate his efforts on issues which he clearly sees as of lesser importance: at the same time a Tory MP is using parliamentary time to debate those very issues!
It takes a rare type of snootiness to look down on a Tory MP, but Mr. Nesbitt seems to have achieved it.”