OVERARCHING VIEW
We cannot change the past but we can build a future. Whilst I acknowledge the impact of the past, I do not think we should let it dominate our future. We should be committed to putting the past behind us and building a future that works for everyone. I believe in Northern Ireland. I am proud of our culture, our people, and our place. I think it’s time for us to move forward.
I do not believe in using labels to describe people that they would not use themselves. I believe that people and their identities are complex, multifaceted, and personal. A single label does not do justice to the individuals that make up our society. I do believe that Northern Ireland is better placed as part of the United Kingdom, but that does not define me and I believe that elected representatives should seek to defend the aspirations and rights of everyone in our community. Hence why I would be registering as “other” if elected, and am for the removal of the designation system altogether as it does nothing but entrench a sectarian divide.
THE ECONOMY
Our economy is unbalanced, unhealthy and unsustainable. Only massive subvention from London permits the standard of living to which we have become accustomed. All industrialised countries, including the UK are having difficulty in balancing their budgets, and the pressure on the subvention is likely to grow.
Growing our own economy will not be easy. Not least of our problems is the huge attraction of London and the South East to those with skills and capital. In addition, we are a peripheral region, with a small domestic market, physically isolated from potential export markets.
We need to support our local small and medium enterprises and realise that FDI and lower corporation tax are not the silver bullets that our current executive believes; indeed, a company needs to be profitable to pay corporation tax in the first place. We also need to focus on raising our enterprise creation rate.
I support the devolution of fiscal powers to the Assembly. The devolution of corporation tax on its own will not be sufficient, it may even be counterproductive; I wish to see the devolution of income tax and stamp duty. If we are to keep our best and brightest, we must be able to offer financial incentives, a vibrant cultural life, a great education system, world class health care and to do all that we need political stability and a unifying vision.
Some suggest that the solution to our small private sector is to cut employment in our public sector. I disagree. I believe that the focus should be on growing the private sector, not cutting public sector employment before new jobs have even been created, or at the expense of providing the quality of public services we should all be able to rely on.
To increase the local enterprise creation rate I believe that we should set up a public sector Northern Irish Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency, modelled off many similar agencies already set up throughout the rest of the UK, as well as giving councils more power to support local small businesses.
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
The headline unemployment figures are repeatedly trumpeted as a good news story. The reality for many, particularly the young, is anything but. One of the great tragedies for Northern Ireland is the level of emigration by our well educated and motivated young people.
The unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds in Northern Ireland is 21%, which is just above the UK average but this does not consider the huge numbers that leave our shores.
The economic inactivity rate is significantly higher than the rest of the UK and our productivity levels significantly lower.
I am committed to tackling youth unemployment; linking skills, training and jobs and significantly improving careers advice, but there is a missing element.
The world is awash with capital, it is short of people with skills, but people with skills are highly mobile. If we are to attract investment, we must make it possible for those with skills to remain in Northern Ireland. Only if we can maintain a skill base will we attract long term sustainable investment.
We should reverse the cut in university places and offer a start-up loan scheme to recent graduates that works in a similar way to their student loans. We should also offer better financing options to part-time students.
I am convinced of the value of Science and Arts to our society. Both provide opportunities for employment, education, and dialogue and should be protected.
EDUCATION
I believe that an integrated education system must be put in place over the next decade, and that teaching professionals should be given fairer treatment by our executive than the real terms pay cuts that many teachers have faced over the last decade, including this year’s offer of a 0% “pay rise” which forced many teachers to go on strike.
A country which fails to value its teachers, fails to value its future. Without a strong education system, we cannot have a strong and sustainable future economy.
I believe in the promotion of STEAM subjects from primary school level; ensuring our teachers have the skills to deliver world class science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK showing a decline in infrastructure investment.
Investment in infrastructure is key to delivering jobs, growth, and prosperity for Northern Ireland. I fully support the delivery of the A6 dual carriageway construction linking Greater Belfast with the North West.
Strategic long term planning to replace and upgrade ageing road and rail networks will not only help rebalance our economy but will stimulate growth in the construction sector.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing Northern Ireland and the world.
We have an obligation to future generations to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard the environment.
We can take practical steps at a local level by incentivising a move from a fossil fuelled economy to one powered by renewable energy. The key challenge however is the building of a suitable infrastructure to transport energy from where it is generated to where it is needed. I believe that Northern Ireland’s public sector and the consumer should contribute to the cost of building a public asset.
In relation to reducing the use of fossil fuels, the move to gas where possible and ground heat pumps where this is not is to be encouraged. An absolute priority for better insulation should be provided and consideration given to the use of Financial Transaction Capital in this regard.
HEALTH
Northern Ireland is facing a public health crisis that is making the NHS unsustainable. I believe that we should be investing in our public services, not cutting them.
Northern Ireland should be a hub for medical innovation. Scientists should be financially supported to continue their work in clinical trials aimed at defeating some of the most serious illnesses which affect so many of our population.
I also believe that there should be a greater focus on preventative care, helping people to live healthy lifestyles.
EQUALITY
I believe in an open, tolerant, and pluralist society that celebrates diversity.
I will oppose all prejudice and discrimination based upon race, religion, colour, age, disability, sex, or sexual orientation.
THE ARTS
I believe that a strong properly funded arts sector is vital to life for everyone in Northern Ireland.
The arts cut across social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness. The Arts are not an expensive luxury, they are tool for cultural expression which is badly needed by our society. We spend so little on Arts in comparison to everything else that even a modest uplift would provide huge benefits.
FUEL POVERTY
Around 300,000 households in Northern Ireland cannot afford to heat their homes.
42% of the population of Northern Ireland are affected by fuel poverty compared with only 15% in England.
We must engage with and incentivise people to insulate and heat their homes in the best possible way.
I propose ring-fencing a proportion of the Financial Transactions Capital available to the Executive to help tackle fuel poverty.
The gas network in Northern Ireland should be extended to stretch beyond the Greater Belfast and ‘Ten Towns’ areas.
The North-South electricity inter-connector must be delivered within the next five years. Completion will not only drive lower prices for consumers but also provide additional power generating capacity.
PARADES
I respect and support the rights of people to parade, and protest.
I believe that the legislative authority for the process of mediating and adjudicating on contentious parades and protests should be devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Local politicians must take responsibility for parading and begin to manage interested groups’ expectations.
FLAGS
I believe the Union Flag should be flown on designated days on Government Buildings.
I also believe that legislation should be introduced to regulate the flying of flags on street furniture, to ensure that national flags are flown with respect and that there is a zero-tolerance policy for paramilitary flags.
REAL LIVING WAGE
I support the real living wage campaign. I believe in the benefit of work.
Wages and rewards should be fair and commensurate with effort and ability.
ABORTION
I believe that abortion should be available to women in cases of Fatal Foetal Abnormality and in cases of non-consensual sexual intercourse. It is not humane to force someone in difficult circumstances to travel to England without the help and support of their family and medical practitioners. Medical services that are available in the rest of the United Kingdom should be available in Northern Ireland.
I do not advocate abortion as a form of birth control but recognise the pressure that unplanned pregnancies place on many people. People in such circumstances should be provided with guidance and supported in whatever decision they make.
I firmly believe in sexual education and wider availability of contraception to minimise risk of unwanted pregnancy and thus reduce the need and requirement for abortions.
Making abortion illegal does not stop abortions, it makes abortions dangerous.
VOTING AGE
I support the reduction of the voting age to 16 for all local and UK elections and Referendums. If people are old enough to pay taxes, they are old enough to vote on who spends them/on what.
I also believe that the ability to register for voting online should be extended to Northern Ireland, and that students should be able to be automatically enrolled as they come of age through their school.
BREXIT
I believe that we need to maintain single market access, and that we should do all we can to prevent a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
REFORMING THE ASSEMBLY & EXECUTIVE
There is no future for Northern Ireland that does not include a shared vision for Northern Ireland. However, we cannot have effective government by an Executive which is fundamentally divided.
I believe that we need to reform the Assembly and would support the creation of a commission to review the options for doing so. I believe that voluntary coalition can work.
DISABILITY AND NEURODIVERSITY RIGHTS
I believe in the social model of disability. The social model of disability says that disability is caused by the way society is organised, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference. It looks at ways of removing barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people. When barriers are removed, disabled people can be independent and equal in society, with choice and control over their own lives.
Disabled people developed the social model of disability because the traditional medical model did not explain their personal experience of disability or help to develop more inclusive ways of living. An impairment is defined as long-term limitation of a person’s physical, mental, or sensory function.
Hence, I believe that we need a coherent accessibility strategy, to remove the barriers we currently put in the way of so much of our population. People should have an equal chance at living a happy and successful life no matter whether they be blind, wheelchair bound, Autistic or anything else.
PROTECTIONS AND HELP FOR CARERS
Looking after a loved one can be difficult, putting stress both on someone’s welfare and their career. I believe that carers should get more support from our government.
CHILDCARE
Better childcare provision helps more people move into work, helping to grow our economy and quality of life. Yet, our poor treatment of childcare providers has led to a situation where childcare provision is not only inadequate, but going down, leading to higher costs and lower quality.
We need to provide better support – including financial – to parents and to childcare providers in Northern Ireland and conduct a review of the current systems in place for their management and regulation.
OPEN DATA
In a knowledge economy, open data presents many opportunities to provide better public sector and private sector services, enhancing our countries economy and quality of living. I support the growth of open data provided by our government.