Three brave men have lost their lives in Northern Ireland and our deepest sympathies must be with the friends and families of Patrick Azimkar, Mark Quinsey and Stephen Carroll. Sappers Azimkar and Quinsey were only hours from travelling to Afghanistan to help bring peace to that country and give aid to the Afghan people. Stephen Carroll was an experienced police officer, just about to complete twenty-one years of dedicated service; our thoughts are with his wife and family.

I try to visit Northern Ireland every week but today was the most moving visit since I became Shadow Secretary of State in July 2007. I had briefings from the Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Orde and Brigadier George Norton, Commander of the 38 (Irish) Brigade. I also visited Massereene Barracks and the site of the murder at Craigavon.

The ruthless murderers who committed these crimes must be brought to justice. They are violent criminals who are not representative of their communities and have no popular support. All political parties have rightly called for these killers to be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law; local people must work with the police and politicians to help achieve this. The key to defeating terrorism in Northern Ireland lies with the community and anyone with information on these criminal acts must come forward.

I have been struck how representatives from all parts of the community have united across the political divide to condemn these brutal acts.

The Chief Constable has been increasingly public and insistent in his warnings about the severity of the threat posed by dissident republican groups. We have known for some time that there has been a determination amongst these criminal gangs to kill a police officer or a member of the armed forces. It is down to a combination of skill, bravery and luck that a whole series of attempts in recent months had not been successful until this week. The aim of these attacks is to try and disrupt normal policing, forcing police into barracks and armoured vehicles, away from contact with the public. There is an extremely difficult balance for the police to achieve, ensuring adequate protection for police officers while maintaining the close relations with the public which are so vital for policing in Northern Ireland to be effective. In the meantime, it is essential that the Chief Constable should exercise his operational independence and call on any technical expertise he needs to tackle these criminals, as is the case in the rest of the United Kingdom. We pressed this issue in Parliament yesterday and I was pleased that the Government guaranteed that operational independence would be upheld even when Criminal Justice and Policing are devolved.

Despite the progress that has been made, Northern Ireland still has some way to go before normal security arrangements are appropriate. Parts of Northern Ireland remain more divided than ever. I have seen peace walls being extended in contentious inner city areas. Gangs are involved in extensive fuel smuggling, drug running and racketeering. So-called ‘loyalist’ paramilitaries have yet to decommission and remain involved in criminality.

Although there is still much to do, Northern Ireland has been transformed from the place it was thirty years ago, thanks to the peace process which was begun by the previous government and continued by this one. The Belfast Agreement was approved by 71 per cent of voters in the North and 94 per cent in the South. This agreement was effectively endorsed at St Andrews; all political parties have bought into it.

An unrepresentative minority of dissidents are determined to undo the good work of the past fifteen years. It is incumbent on us all to respond to these shocking murders by going about our business normally but with increased vigilance; there should be no sudden or precipitate changes in policy. The good work of recent years must continue. The actions of a small number of violent criminals must not be allowed to provoke anyone to undo the progress that has been made.

You will be committed, enthusiastic and able to handle heavy workloads and tough challenges.  You will be able to react quickly to events, think on your feet, and work well as an individual when necessary as well as with others.  An interest in politics and a strong belief in the Conservatives and Ulster Unionists project to bring main stream national, pro Union politics to Northern Ireland.  Media experience is helpful but not essential.

To succeed in this role you will need to be ambitious, self-motivated and an all-round hands-on team player with a strong work ethic and plenty of resilience.  You will be able to act on your own initiative; able to manage and motivate yourself.  In addition the ideal candidate will possess a variety of skills in the following areas:

·    Excellent oral and written communication skills
·    Strong organisational skills
·    Research and analytical skills
·    Excellent IT skills

To succeed in this role you will also need to be flexible, as the working hours may at times be long and uncertain.  (We may appoint to this role before this date if and when we find the right candidate).

Salary- on application

How to apply- send a CV and covering letter to Marion Little at marion.little@conservatives.com by 5pm on Monday 16th March.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We value diversity and appoint on merit.

“I would first like to thank the Secretary of State for giving me advance sight of his Statement and for his call yesterday. I would like to join him in sending our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of Sapper Patrick Azimkar and Sapper Mark Quinsey and to those injured in this cowardly attack. The murdered men were about to travel to Afghanistan to serve their country and to support the Afghan people. The horrific events of the weekend bring into focus the bravery of all those who serve in the armed forces, the PSNI and the security services. We should also thank the emergency services and medical staff. We are all indebted to them.

“The Independent Monitoring Commission review confirmed our concerns about the dissident threat; we raised this again in the Chamber last Wednesday. This attack follows a succession of near misses on police.

“The Chief Constable has been consistent and increasingly public about the severity of the threat posed by dissident republican groups. I would like to confirm our firm support for the operational independence of the Chief Constable. Like every other Chief Constable in the UK he must have the right to enlist the help of specialists. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the decision of the Chief Constable to call in reconnaissance experts would not have been affected had Criminal Justice and Policing been devolved?

“The aim of these attacks is to try and disrupt normal policing, forcing police into barracks and armoured vehicles, away from the public. Will the Secretary of State confirm that a balance must be struck between the need for increased protection for officers and ensuring that police are visible and known to their communities?

“The Government raised the threat level from substantial to severe last week. Was this change due to specific intelligence received or a response to the general security situation?

“Were civilian guards briefed on the current threat level and were individual establishments chased up to ensure that this was understood and that appropriate measures had been taken to take account of this? Given the understandable pursuit of normalisation, will he conduct an immediate review of the security arrangements at police stations and military installations? Has he had any discussions with the Defence Secretary about the consequences for defence installations in the rest of the UK?

“The attackers showed a devastating ruthlessness in shooting their victims a second time on the ground. Does the Secretary of State believe that this cold brutality suggests that these were experienced terrorists?

“The crime scene will reveal valuable ballistic and forensic evidence. The experience from previous investigations shows that speed is of the essence. Will the Secretary of State confirm that these Category A murders will receive top priority and will he confirm that the most competent and experienced officers will be in charge of the investigation?

“I would like to confirm that we will support the Government’s efforts to bring these ruthless murderers to justice. We believe that they have no support in the wider community. The support for the police investigation from all political parties is welcome. The key to defeating terrorism in Northern Ireland lies with all parts of the community. I endorse the Secretary of State’s appeal yesterday for anyone with information on these criminal acts to come forward; even the smallest piece of information could be vital and might help to bring this investigation to a swift conclusion. We welcome the public statement by the Irish Minister of Justice and the Garda Commissioner for their commitment to help.

“Although huge progress has been made, Northern Ireland still has some way to go before normal security arrangements are appropriate. Thanks to the peace process which was begun by the previous government and continued by this one, Northern Ireland has been transformed. An unrepresentative minority of dissidents are determined to undo the good work of the past 15 years. It is incumbent on us all to respond to this shocking attack by going about our business normally but with increased vigilance; the good work of recent years must continue. Terrorism in any form must never succeed.”

The Shadow Foreign Secretary said, “Our first thoughts have to be with the families of those soldiers who were killed. There’s been so much progress in Northern Ireland in recent years and it is shocking that some people want that to slide backwards.”

“He stressed the people behind the attack have no popular support in Northern Ireland and warned, “There is nothing they can achieve by violence and murder.”

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of all those murdered and injured in this cowardly attack. Those who commit these acts have no popular support. They must be brought to justice as soon as possible and they cannot be allowed to disrupt the progress that has been made in making a better Northern Ireland for all.”

The website, which can be viewed via this link, was promoted at a reception at the House of Commons last night which many senior party figures including Lady Thatcher, Michael Gove MP and Owen Paterson MP attended.

To also view Conservative Home’s coverage of the event you can click this link.

In his ‘humility’ moment, as the paper terms it, Mr Darling then goes on to describe how tensions, albeit healthy ones, are beginning to emerge between the Treasury and Number 10. Not exactly the send-off the Prime Minister envisaged as he heads to America to speak with President Obama and address the Joint Houses.

While the interview, broadly, seems to herald a shift in the Government line – they now admit that things are no longer rosy – Mr Darling claims that the problems can be traced back some 15 years. Fifteen years that is which take us back to the last period of Conservative Government.

Throughout the economic crisis, the Government has maintained that this all started with the Tories. That it was their regulatory system which got us in this mess. Sadly, this message no longer washes with the public – something today’s poll in the Independent clearly shows.

Twelve years of incompetence has got us in this mess. Is there any relief to be taken from the possibility that we may only have another 15 – 15 months that is – left?

To see his comments please click this link.

What is your view on this subject? Should the Government keep the minutes secret for another 24 years? Alasdair Palmer in last Saturday’s Daily Telegraph has his own view…

Let us know what you think.

Responding to overwhelming political pressure in the House, the Government also pledged to fully support people with autism with a raft of new measures.

The Bill, which was drafted by the NAS and taken forward by Cheryl Gillan, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, will now move to committee stage where these commitments to transform the lives of people affected by autism can be scrutinised by MPs.

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the NAS said, “This is a landmark victory for the thousands of people with autism who say they feel isolated and ignored.

“We are delighted that MPs have listened to their constituents and voted for the Bill.

“Furthermore, the Government’s public commitment today to hold local authorities legally accountable if they do not provide appropriate support for children and adults with autism has the potential to end the devastating postcode lottery of autism services and support across the UK.

“There is still a long way to go, but we look forward to working with the Government during the Bill’s committee stage to secure a brighter future for people with autism.”

Mark Lever added, “The NAS would like to thank Cheryl Gillan MP, the 6000 people who emailed their MP and all the MPs who supported the Bill.”