SPEAKING this afternoon from the Leeds Castle political talks, Alliance Leader David Ford MLA stated: “Today, I believe there are more grounds for optimism than there were 24 hours ago. A degree of positive engagement between parties and with the two governments has led to a number of ideas being discussed in greater detail. “We […]
The Two Governments and political parties have much work to do if the Leeds Castle Talks are to be an even limited success. Talks over the past nine months have made little progress. Those involved have talked around the issues, with little or no effort to draw the competing visions and proposals together. At the […]
The Collective Path to Peace and Stability by David Ford MLA The Two Governments and political parties have much work to do if the Leeds Castle Talks are to be an even limited success. Talks over the past nine months have made little progress. Those involved have talked around the issues, with little or no […]
ALLIANCE Leader David Ford has said that the Government should try to ensure the Leeds Castle talks are not undermined by lack of progress by giving the parties a discussion document on arrival. Mr Ford stated: “There have been enough delays without creating more. As time at Leeds Castle will be so short, I would […]
Speaking after the announcement that Mary McAleese is to stand for the Presidency of Ireland again, Alliance Party leader David Ford MLA stated: “When she was first nominated as candidate for the Presidency Mary McAleese was seen by many as a representative of Fianna Fail. Over seven years she has built on the work of […]
With today’s announcement that the Government plans to charge an average of £315 – £415 per household for water and sewerage services, Seamus Close MLA, Alliance Spokesperson for Finance, has demanded a rebate for domestic ratepayers, as they already pay a significant contribution towards water. Seamus Close said: “Ratepayers in Northern Ireland already pay for […]
In response to the news that the PSNI Full Time Reserve (FTR) is to be almost halved in strength, Alliance Assembly member and former Police Authority member Sean Neeson stated: “At a time when crime is one of the most pressing issues for Northern Ireland, it is unfortunate that we are losing so many experienced […]
ALLIANCE Councillor Sara Duncan (Castlereagh, West) has called for Translink to review its ‘three mile limit’ rule that means children living more than this distance from school must pay for bus passes. Cllr Duncan made the appeal after the construction of a new pavement to Lagan College led Translink to refuse to issue free bus […]
Speaking today at an INCORE Conference on Politicians and Community Relations, Alliance Party General Secretary and Justice Spokesperson Dr Stephen Farry, has called for a new vision for community relations to be placed at the heart of any package emerging from the Leeds Castle Talks. Dr Farry stated: “For too many people, the underlying concept […]
ALLIANCE Party Leader David Ford has welcomed the results of a new survey by Queen’s University, Belfast that indicates a recent significant increase in hare numbers in Northern Ireland. Mr Ford, who is also Alliance Agriculture Spokesperson, stated: “While the actual numbers may be influenced by the change in methodology, there is no doubt that […]