Upper Bann

Election Communication

Upper Bann Constituency

Frank McQuaid “Alliance is working to build a

“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.”

united community in Northern Ireland. The Agreement is not the ceiling of our ambition, but the

“Only Alliance asks the awkward questions that need to be asked, and raises the difficult issues that need to be raised.”

foundation on which we can build a shared society. “Alliance is working for an open, free and fair society. Only Alliance rejects the notion that we must all be boxed into ‘two communities’. “Alliance is working to give everyone something better than tribal politics – a genuinely shared future.”

Upper Bann

THURSDAY 29th MAY 2003

www.allianceworks.org Published by Joe Donnelly on behalf of Frank McQuaid, both at 16 Ulsterville Park, Portadown, BT62 5EY. Printed by GPS Colour Graphics, Alexander Road, Belfast, BT6 9HF.

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Frank McQuaid

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

Frank McQuaid Works • Local farmer, whose family have farmed in the area, for over 200 years; Alliance Spokesperson on Agriculture. • First elected to Banbridge Council in 1993, and a Governor of Newbridge Integrated College. • Active in local support groups for the elderly, and the arts community. • Vociferous supporter of law and order as the basis of a stable and secure society. • Has been recognised for his efforts in promoting economic development along the A1 corridor and in the wider area. • Strongly committed to working for peace and reconciliation, and the proper implementation of the Agreement.

Upper Bann As a farmer, Frank is very concerned at the plight of local farmers. He is particularly concerned that young people no longer feel that they can make a living on the land. Frank will lobby for a more balanced approach to rural development that promotes farm diversification, increased finance for agri-environmental schemes, and the promotion of local markets.

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. 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 to 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

Frank McQuaid

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.