South Belfast - Ea2

Election Communication

South Belfast Constituency

Geraldine

Rice “Improving community relations must be the biggest priority for our Assembly - not an optional extra. Only Alliance is providing credible answers to the problem of how we deal with our divisions.”

THURSDAY 29th MAY 2003 Label here

South Belfast

1

Geraldine Rice 2 Tom Ekin

Alliance Works ~ Tribal Politics Doesn’t www.allianceworks.org

“Only Alliance asks the awkward questions that need to be asked, and raises the difficult issues that need to be raised.” www.allianceworks.org Published by Patrick Mitchell on behalf of Geraldine Rice and Tom Ekin, all at 192 Saintfield Road, Belfast, BT8 6HH. Printed by GPS Colour Graphics, Alexander Road, Belfast, BT6 9HF.

Tom Ekin

Geraldine Rice Geraldine Rice Works • Has lived in Ormeau Road and then Carryduff for most of her life. • Castlereagh Councillor since 1989. Instrumental in the recent campaign to save the Robinson Centre from UUP and DUP efforts to close it down. • As Alliance Spokesperson on Health takes a strong stance on a number of issues, especially free personal care for the elderly in residential and nursing homes. • Strong supporter of the police and the rule of law. Member of Probation Board for Northern Ireland, and former member of the Police Authority. Also serves on Castlereagh District Police Partnership. • Has a keen interest in environment, planning and public transport issues in South Belfast. • Committed to using the Good Friday Agreement to improve community relations.

South Belfast

UUP 29%

Tom Ekin Works • Successful businessman, based in South Belfast. • Belfast City Councillor since 1997; heads the City Hall working group to start the long process of reducing sectarianism and building better community relations in Belfast. • Initiated and drives the City Hall efforts to produce effective anti-littering measures • Has been effective in making Planners attitudes in South Belfast more in tune with the area, urging less intrusive apartments and less ‘out of town’ supermarkets. • Successfully urged the police to better respond to fears of crime in the homes and streets of South Belfast. • Continues to highlight the problems of vandals and drinkers in the parks and playing fields of South Belfast.

Tom Ekin

Five Years of Wasted Opportunities The Agreement has yet to be properly implemented. Traditional parties have pursued their own narrow agendas and bickered over issues such as policing reform rather than working together for the good of all. Even today, rather than looking to a shared future together, the UUP and the SDLP are moving to the extremes, looking over their shoulders at the DUP and Sinn Féin. Meanwhile on the streets, sectarianism, segregation and law and order remain major problems.

DUP 17%

SDLP 25%

All 11%

SF 10%

NIWC 3%

The results in the last election count in South Belfast. It is clear that both the UUP and the SDLP have 2 safe seats, and the DUP are guaranteed one seat. The only issue here is whether Sinn Fein or Alliance win the last seat.

Sectarianism Costs Sectarianism and segregation carry huge human and financial costs. More and more people are living almost parallel lives with a bare minimum of contact with those on ‘the other side’. Huge resources are wasted in providing separate facilities that could be better invested in improving public services. Why do we persist in forcing people into boxes called unionism and nationalism? Apartheid never worked in South Africa. It can never work here. Making the Difference Healing our community divisions must be the biggest priority for the Assembly. Unless we seriously address these problems, they will eventually destroy the Agreement and all that has been achieved so far. Alliance is the leading cross-community and anti-sectarian voice in Northern Ireland. Alliance is the political voice of those who work to create a united community, characterised by sharing not separation. Alliance offers everyone an invitation to join something different, something better than tribal politics – a genuinely shared and non-sectarian future. For Alliance, the Agreement is not the ceiling of our ambition. It is the foundation on which we can build a better future.

The full Assembly Manifesto, and detailed policy papers are available from www.allianceworks.org or by phoning 9032 4274

Alliance Works ~ Tribal Politics Doesn’t Back in 1998, people voted for a new beginning. While in many respects Northern Ireland is better than before, the progress that people had a right to expect has not occurred.