Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson and North Down Candidate Stephen Farry has responded to claims by the DUP’s Sammy Wilson that Alliance has had a Damascus conversion on the use of recruitment quotas for the PSNI. Stephen Farry stated: “Alliance has opposed the use of 50:50 quotas since the day the Patten Recommendations were published. Clearly, […]
Alliance’s 21 candidates are standing in all 18 constituencies. Please see the ‘Election Section’ for more details. David Ford – South Antrim Sean Neeson – East Antrim Stewart Dickson – East Antrim Jayne Dunlop – North Antrim Yvonne Boyle – East L’Derry Seamus Close – Lagan Valley Naomi Long – East Belfast Geraldine Rice – […]
ALLIANCE Councillor Sara Duncan has welcomed moves to introduce more polling stations in Northern Ireland. Cllr Duncan, who highlighted problems with the lack of polling facilities in June 2001, said: “I am very glad that the Electoral Office has taken this action. In Newtownbreda in 2001, up to 150 people weren’t able to vote in […]
ALLIANCE Councillor Naomi Long has said that the latest attempt to abduct someone in East Belfast was “sinister and concerning”. The 19-year-old was walking along the Beersbridge Road on Thursday when a car pulled up beside her and man tried to pull her into the car. Cllr Long said: “There have been a number of […]
THE Alliance Party announced its candidates for the forthcoming Assembly election this morning (Thursday) at Belfast Castle. Party Leader David Ford said he was confident that Alliance would increase its vote as the people of Northern Ireland have become disillusioned with the inability of unionism and nationalism to resolve their differences. Mr Ford said: “Alliance […]
Alliance Councillor Geraldine Rice has said Peter Robinson lacks the credibility to talk about financial responsibility in the Assembly, after the explosion of Castlereagh Council’s ‘rates timebomb’. Responding to Mr Robinson’s claims that householders in Northern Ireland could see their rates double over the next five years, the prospective Alliance candidate for South Belfast said […]
By David Ford, Leader of the Alliance Party THE front page headline in Wednesday’s Belfast Telegraph said exactly what many of us were thinking after the collapse of the much-heralded UUP/Sinn Fein deal: “What next?” After the governmental hype and spin surrounding the two party talks, expectations were raised. But instead of a breakthrough, there […]
ALLIANCE prospective candidate for Lagan Valley, Seamus Close, has said that the Government should stop acting like an election agent for the UUP and Sinn Fein, following the release of a Downing Street statement today. Mr Close said: “With its sickening admiration for the problem parties, the Government is coming very close to acting as […]
ALLIANCE Councillors Geraldine Rice and Naomi Long have said that plans to reduce road gritting during the winter in South Belfast and East Belfast will lead to an increase in collisions and unnecessarily put lives at risk. Councillor Rice (Castlereagh) said: “Roads Service must realise that, despite the expense, gritting roads during the winter months […]
ALLIANCE Leader David Ford has said that the lack of an inclusive process in recent weeks led to “the breakdown of the breakthrough people were expecting”. Mr Ford said: “Despite the hype surrounding today’s predicted deal between Sinn Fein and the UUP, the deal broke down at the decommissioning hurdle. While secret deals often fall […]