East Belfast Alliance Councillor Naomi Long has branded today’s special meeting of Belafst City Council as “a disgraceful fiasco, funded at the rate payers’ expense”. The meeting, held to discuss a controversial Sinn Fein motion on policing, had to be adjourned as councillors heckled each other and shouted abuse across the Council Chamber. Councillor Long […]
THE Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Good Relations Working Group has welcomed initial moves by the council to combat sectarian violence and murder. Alliance councillor Tom Ekin said the Good Relations Group will play an important role in bringing people together to look at ways to reduce tensions that lead to sectarian violence. Cllr Ekin […]
An Alliance Party delegation today met with the Secretary of State to discuss proposals for an independent observer to report on the levels of paramilitary violence. Speaking after the meeting, David Ford stated: “The problem of continuing street violence and other paramilitary activities are gradually eroding confidence from the peace process. At present, there is […]
A controversial planning application on the Saintfield Road could lead to an increase in accidents and injuries on one of Northern Ireland’s most dangerous roads, according to Castlereagh Councillor Sara Duncan. The Alliance councillor has written to the Planning Service to object to a proposed development at 51 Saintfield Road – an application for 12 […]
Alliance Councillor Geraldine Rice has urged cancer charities to consider pooling their research resources, after researchers at Queen’s University Belfast discovered that a fault in a gene could prevent the body’s immune system from fighting cancer cells. It is understood that women with a faulty BRCA1 gene have between a 65% and an 85% chance […]
Alliance Councillor David Alderdice has said that consideration should be given to a flag for Belfast. Cllr Alderdice, leader of the Alliance grouping in Belfast City Council, was speaking after Sinn Fein Lord Mayor Alex Maskey installed the Irish flag in the Mayor’s parlour in City Hall. Cllr Alderdice said: “This is not a major […]
Alliance’s Newtownabbey Councillor, Lynn Frazer, has condemned the attack on her fellow councillor, Mark Langhammer, today. Cllr Frazer said: “This was an attack carried out by cowards on a councillor who has consistently represented all the people of Newtownabbey over the years. “Not only had this device the potential to kill or injure Mark Langhammer, […]
Alliance has strongly criticised the British Government’s handling of the case surrounding the murder of Peter McBride 10 years ago. Seamus Close MLA said that the two soldiers convicted of the murder of an innocent man, as judged by a British court, were not fit to continue to serve in the Army. Mr Close said: […]
Councillor Eileen Bell Chair of Alliance Party and former Co-ordinator of the Peace Train Organisation speaking about the latest bomb scare on the Belfast – Dublin Railway Line said: “We closed up the Peace Train Organisation after the 1994 cease fires because we took the men of violence at their word when they talked about […]
Alliance Party Justice Spokesperson, Stephen Farry, has backed the call of the new Chief Constable for the retention of the full-time reserve, and offered his full support to Hugh Order in confronting the many challenges ahead. Dr Farry stated: “The Patten Report envisaged a situation in which the security situation in Northern Ireland was little […]