DUP MP Donaldson calls for UK-wide Unionist movement at Liverpool Orange Order demonstration

DUP MP Donaldson calls for UK-wide Unionist movement at Liverpool Orange Order demonstration

Union under threat across the UK - Donaldson

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Union-under-threat-across-the.6283370.jp
Original article by Michael McGlade in the News Letter at the link above.

RE-ELECTED Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson has called for a UK-wide movement to defend the "integrity" of the Union.

In his address to an Orange Order gathering in Liverpool at the weekend, Mr Donaldson said there were those within the political establishment who wanted to dismantle the UK's constitution and to break the "historic link between the Sovereign and the Church".







Videos: Act of Settlement Orange Rally, Grand Master Of The Loyal Orange Institution Of England Liverpool May 2010





Videos: Act of Settlement Orange Rally, Jeffrey Donaldson DUP MP, Liverpool May 2010



He told the Orange brethren on Saturday that any attempt in Parliament to scrap the Act of Settlement will be opposed.



"We strongly oppose any attempt to tinker with the constitutional arrangements that have helped maintain political stability in the United Kingdom for over three centuries," he said.



"Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing persecution have sought haven in this country because of the freedoms that are at the heart of our constitution.



"Our Christian heritage must be protected and it saddens me that there are church leaders who fail to speak up for that Christianity and its link with the constitution yet some even advocate that Islamic Sharia Law should apply in the UK."



The DUP man said this type of "muddled thinking" had blunted the ability of the Church to give leadership.



"Fundamental to maintaining political stability is the need to ensure that the Sovereign owes sole allegiance to this country. That was the main purpose of the Act of Settlement, ensuring that our Monarch owed their allegiance to no other State or person and that the only higher authority was Almighty God.



"We will oppose any attempt in Parliament to scrap the Act of Settlement."



War memorials in cities, towns and villages across the UK were, he said, testimony to the sacrifice that each part of the country has played in maintaining democracy and liberty.



The MP continued: "Today, we have men and women from every region of the UK serving under the Union Flag in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.



"As we struggle to recover from the impact of recession, we are stronger together than we would ever be apart. Yet despite the strength that comes from unity, there are nationalist elements that seek to dismember the Kingdom and destroy the Union.



"The case for the Union is a powerful one but it is often unspoken. I advocate the creation of a UK-wide movement that will draw together political and civic unionism in a campaign to promote the maintenance of the Union and to defend the integrity of the United Kingdom."













Videos: Act of Settlement Orange Parade, Liverpool May 2010



http://youtu.be/83FhVLq_qqg?a

http://youtu.be/JHdsDO9uzv4?a