Ford outlines 'vision' for Alliance

Published Saturday, 22 January 2011

Alliance Leader David Ford has outlined his vision for 2011, saying he expects the party to reap its rewards in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

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Delivering his keynote speech at the party's conference in Antrim on Saturday, Mr Ford said a "positive vision" distinguishes Alliance from the rest of Northern Ireland's politicians.

He said this has led to more new members joining in the past year than any other.

"I will leave it to other parties to engage in negative campaigns and personal venom which they do so well, because we are far too busy with a positive vision," Mr Ford said. "One which gives us great hopes for the future of Northern Ireland."

The Alliance Party has made strides in the past year, gaining its first minister when Mr Ford secured the Department of Justice position created last April.

Then in May, former Belfast Lord Mayor Naomi Long was elected MP for East Belfast at the expense of DUP leader Peter Robinson.

A number of new members have also joined the party's ranks in recent months, including ex-UUP Westminster candidates Paula Bradshaw and Harry Hamilton.

"2010 was a great year, and it has given us a strong foundation on which to build for the future - for a shared future," said Ms Long, addressing the conference.

"More members, more Councillors, more Assembly Members will mean more opportunities to make progress on building the peaceful, prosperous and united community we all want to see realised.

"We want to see our community transformed, and our society changed for the better and we are not willing to sit back and wait for others to deliver - we are actively working to make it happen."

The theme for the Alliance conference was "leading change", and with the Assembly and council elections just months away, delegates were told it is not the time to rest on their laurels.

"This year, we look forward with determination - determination to work for change, and to deliver change," David Ford said.

"We look forward with determination to win more votes, and win more seats. We look forward, with determination, to growing the movement and building the momentum for change."

Comments

8 Comments

Cllr Tom Campbell in Newtownabbey wrote (484 days ago):

Billy-this is becoming a nonsense and I am not going to write again. You made outrageous allegations about an MP you said was also an MLA and suggested that she was ripping off the taxpayer. When this was blown out of the water (because it was untrue), you suggested similar allegations because(again incorrectly) you thought she was still a Belfast City Councillor. Now you suggest I owe an apology because you got that wrong too!! You did not get the information about this from the City Council, as you suggest. If you had telephoned (which I doubt) you would have been told the truth. The only other way to check this is via the Council's website- which again records the truth: that Naomi Long is not a member of that body either. You are entitled to a rant but should at least try to get some facts right.

Billy in Belfast wrote (485 days ago):

Cllr Tom I sincerely hope you should either apologise or take this matter up directly with Belfast City Council as this is where I obtained my information from just this morning. As for that Clown who leads your party………… well the electorate will decide his fate and that of the rejects who failed in their own Party’s. Regardless of our political divide in this Country I am like many others am a disillusioned voter, who will not be fooled by your empty promises of your or any other Party for that matter. In closing I would hope every other right thinking individual in this Country holds all our politicians to account in May and bring about the collapse of this so-called devolution so that we can get value for a tax payers monies.

Cllr Tom Campbell in Newtownabbey wrote (485 days ago):

Billy, Im afraid you are wrong again!! Naomi Long also kept to her commitment to stand down from Belfast City Council so she is not "double jobbing at the expense of the Northern Irish taxpayer". She was replaced last year and is no longer a member of Belfast City Council. I trust that you will check the facts for yourself and correct your unfair and entirely inaccurate criticism. Whilst David Ford is Justice Minister he does not hold the keys to each and every prison and has inherited processes he is currently seeking to change. I am unclear as to the justification for your demand that all our political leaders should resign.

Billy in Blefast wrote (485 days ago):

Cllr Tom I do apologise as she is no longer a sitting M.L.A., however she is still double jobbing at the expense of the Northern Irish taxpayer whilst still sitting on Belfast City Council. To this end I will not apologise. However I am sure every single person in Northern Ireland will happily accept an apology and the resignations of all our so-called political leaders for this misrepresentations. I also note Tom you never mentioned anything about the incompetence of the Justice Minister and the registered sex offenders his department let off scot free. I only pray he never has to comfort another family who were victims of his mistake.

Your correspondent "Billy" is ill informed. He should be more careful before making such allegations about Naomi Long, who is NOT an MLA (as he claims), having resigned- as she promised to do- when she was elected to Parliament. The suggestion that she is improperly "reaping in" extra expenses on this basis is therefore completely inaccurate and unfounded. I am sure his apology will follow. It is hard to fathom the "Looney Tunes characters" criticism-this correspondent needs to get out more and stop watching Disney movies.

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