Please click on image above to see (better quality) poster.

You are invited to a public meeting to discuss the current chaos in our education system.

Balmoral Hotel, Dunmurry
Tuesday 30 June
6.30pm

Panellists:

• Alex Attwood SDLP
• Paul Butler SF
• Olwin Frost Principal Oakwood IPS
• Sinead Beare Principal Christ The Redeemer PS
• Tony Gallagher QUB

Last night on Hearts and Minds, the DUP reveal that they don’t like it when the SDLP are stronger.

Ian Paisley Jnr. said: “Whilst I’m not saying I’d prefer to see Sinn Féin in government because they’re a soft touch, I do believe if the SDLP had more people here we wouldn’t be able to get away with some things… We might be held more to account.”

Sinn Fein mouthpiece John O’Dowd has been popping up all over the media in the last week (is no one else in the party capable of keeping a straight face while talking absolute rubbish?) spouting the latest party diktat that there is no point in having an Executive meeting until sufficient ‘progress’ has been made.  Has no one thought to tell him that even an Executive meeting taking place at this stage would be progress in itself?  The place to meet is not in backrooms with DUP and Sinn Fein hardmen flexing their political muscles.  It is in the Executive with the 4 main parties working together to solve many of the problems facing the people of the North.

The question must be asked why Sinn Fein are allowed to hold the rest of the Executive to ransom, holding out until the last minute before deciding whether to grace the other ministers with their presence around the table on Thursday.  Artificially stoking crisis after crisis, running to Downing Street and having the British Prime Minister visit Stormont to persuade the parties to get back to work is not the work of a mature political party.  Sinn Fein revel in crisis and it is the only thing that they are skilled it.  Unfortunately for the rest of us they are not so proficient when actually in government.

Crisis and bluster at the expense of working government is not a surprise to those of us who said that these would be the inevitable consequences of voting for the two extreme parties in the North.  It seems almost naive that we could expect anything different.  Hopefully this crisis reveals to the electorate that Sinn Fein and the DUP are incapable of co-operating in the work of creating stable and effective governance in this part of the world.  While the globe is hit by a global economic crisis they are literally having meetings about meetings and are doing nothing to help those who vitally need government to intervene in their lives.  While some governments decide to do nothing out of an ideological attachment to neoliberalism and a small state, this government has decided to do nothing out of sheer incompetence. Voters should send a message to Sinn Fein and the DUP today in the Fermanagh byelection but also at the next election which could be sooner than planned if things do not resolve themselves soon, that things are just not good enough.

This morning SDLP Youth members joined Assembly Election candidates Alban Maginness, Marietta Farrell, and Carmel Hanna handing out valentines cards to members of the public in Belfast City Centre outlining the need to ‘kiss direct rule goodbye’. Speaking afterwards Colleges Officer Peter Armstrong said:

“While Sinn Fein and the DUP argue and fight over power, taxes such as the water charges and rates are being brought in over our heads. Education is suffering and schools are closing almost every week. While these parties are busy telling us what they’ve gained the SDLP have been listening to what people have lost. We have been listening to what people want and our program for government can deliver.

“The other parties claim to deliver but they just work for themselves. How can Sinn Fein and the DUP ever offer a stable partnership in government, when they don’t work together at any other level? The SDLP can bring stability and deliver on the issues that matter, I urge people to vote for real progress, vote SDLP March 7th”