Stormont has never and will never address Derry’s underdevelopment, says Gary Donnelly

Colr. Donnelly said Derry had been neglected by every single Stormont regime from the foundation of what he described as the “artificial state.”

“Our children, our grandchildren, will have Australian or English or Canadian accents unless something radical is done here,” blasted Colr. Donnelly.

The Creggan councillor offered the scathing analysis during a debate on third level education at the July meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

“The system, whether it’s direct rule or indirect rule with Stormont, nothing changes.

“I hear some councillors in here saying, ‘what we need is Stormont up and running’. Stormont was up and running, previous Stormonts, and they never addressed this discrimination, because it doesn’t have the mechanism, it doesn’t have the will.”

Colr. Donnelly quoted the 1916 leader James Connolly while making his argument, stating: “It’s a case of ‘ruling by fooling’.

“Something radical needs to happen here because if we are sitting back and depending on the system that’s there.

“It’s never going to happen.”